Still Loving You
by squinTfrown
Summary: Tommy and Jude just got back from Europe, & they now have to return to reality face people who they've hurt, people they've left wondering where they went, & people who don't much like the idea of the two of them together.. Longer summary inside.
1. Home

Still Loving You

Disclaimer: I, in no way, have any sort of possession over anything Instant Star! Also, some lyrics are NOT mine and will be indicated as so. However, some are and again, will be indicated as so.

Summary: So, Tommy and Jude just got back from Europe, and they now have to return to reality; face people who they've hurt, people they've left wondering where they went, and people who don't much like the idea of the two of them together... And with the Darius/Portia scandal putting Jude and Tommy already in the spotlight, how will they deal with the already scandal-crazed press and more importantly, how will the press deal with them and their little secret? With Jude and Tommy starting their life together, Sadie beginning to really fall hard for Kwest, Jamie and Jude facing each other for the first time since the decision, Tommy dealing with psychological problems left over from his mysterious past, G major officially labeled 'no more', SME getting close to a breaking point, and everyone stuck with the question of "Where do we go from here", a lyric comes to mind: "Tighten up your grip, cause it's a long way down..."

**Chapter 1**

Tommy and Jude sat in his car outside of Jude's house, both staring straight ahead in silence.

"Okay, so… This is gonna be bad isn't it?" she finally spoke up, breaking the nervous silence.

"I'm not gonna lie to you… I'm kind of nervous about it myself…" Tommy said, letting out a sigh, "But Jude, we're both adults… and we have to face this…"

She nodded, still staring straight ahead.

"Yeah," she said in what was almost a whimper, "Yeah, okay… Let's go…"

They both got out of the blue viper, and Tommy walked around to Jude's side. As they both neared the door, Tommy squeezed her hand reassuringly. She turned her key in the door and opened it slowly to see Sadie and her dad standing beside the stairs waiting for them with their arms crossed over their chests.

"Welcome home…" Stuart said flatly, without even the slightest change in expression.

The four stood like that for a few more seconds, Jude too scared to even move.

"I thought you two were _never _gonna get out of your car!" Sadie said rushing to hug Jude, whose face showed complete shock.

She hugged her back, letting out a small, relieved laugh.

"Tom," Stuart crossed to shake his hand.

"Hi, Mr. Harrison," he replied with a nod.

"Now just because you're dating my daughter doesn't mean _everything_ has to change!" he smiled, "…It's still Stuart."

"Dad!" Jude turned and hugged him, smiling sweetly.

"Hey, sweetie…" he closed his eyes and hugged her tighter.

"Hey, Tom," Sadie smiled, hugging him and giving his cheek a small peck before turning back to Jude, "Okay, you have to tell me _everything_!"

"First!" Stuart said, getting everyone's attention, "We do still have to go over a few things…"

His eyes met with Jude's and then with Tommy's, giving them a knowing look.

Sadie nodded before mouthing an enthusiastic "Later!" to Jude and scurrying off upstairs.

"In here…" Stuart nodded toward the living room.

Tommy and Jude sat beside each other on the couch as Stuart pulled up a chair across from them.

"First off, what you did was irresponsible by not letting me know you were leaving until you were in the airport… But you _are _eighteen and more than capable of making your own decisions… In most things!"

Tommy looked at her in disbelief, "You said you'd already talked to him…"

"I had!" she said and then smiled sheepishly, "…I just didn't say when…"

"Second… I'm glad you had fun, and even more so that you're back…" Stuart smiled, before continuing, "But there are some things we need to discuss… Like your plans now that you're home, whether you want to go to college, Jude, and what that means for you two as a couple if you do…"

"Well, actually, I have a partner who I've been talking to about buying the building and turning G-major into our own studio… and she's very interested… She's been working on filling out the paper work, and now that I'm back, we're going to try and finish it right away…" Tommy explained watching Jude's face light up.

"You didn't tell me this!" she hit him on the arm.

"It was going to be a surprise…" he smiled lovingly.

"That great, Tom…" Stuart replied, "To tell you the truth… I was pretty worried about what would happen to Jude's career… She's worked so hard for what she has… It'd be a shame to have that taken away from her because of mistakes beyond her control…"

"Definitely!" Tommy added, "She's actually why I decided to do this…"

Jude looked touched and smiled gently at him.

"It's definitely going to take some getting used to, though, I'll tell you that…" Tommy said in an amused tone.

"But you're still going to be my producer, right?" Jude asked concerned.

"That's why I've got a partner, babe," he smiled.

"Who _is_ your partner?" Stuart added.

"Um…" Tommy glanced hesitantly at Jude.

"Ah, gotcha!" Stuart replied, noticing his uneasy actions at the mention of this.

"Wait… What?" Jude asked, looking over at Tommy with confusion.

"So what about college, Jude?" Stuart repeated, turning Jude's attention back onto him.

"Well… I was really just thinking about focusing on my career…"

"As long as you're sure that's what you want, honey…" Stuart replied honestly.

Jude smiled, "It's what I've always wanted…"


	2. For What its Worth

**Chapter 2**

Later that night, Jude and Tommy stood at the door, Tommy with his back to the door and Jude in front of him.

"This is the first goodbye we've had to say in a while!" Jude spoke up, trying to lighten the mood.

"Bout time…" Tommy said with a cocky smile as Jude hit him in the arm once, paused, and then hit him a second time.

He let out a small laugh and pulled her toward him with his hands resting on her hips. He just stared silently for a few moments before speaking.

"So…" he kissed her lightly on the cheek and then on the neck before straightening back up, "You gonna miss me, rockstar?"

"Maybe…" she replied, attempting a look of indifference, "Cause you know I'm going to be so busy, what with the unpacking, talking to Sadie, then of course I really have to get started on some new songs since G-major is going to be a thing again, and there's always that-"

Tommy cut her off as his lips connected with hers. Her hand rested on his cheek after a moment, as he pressed his hand against the small of her back, pulling onto her tip-toes and closer to him. They broke the kiss after a few moments, their faces just an inch apart, if even that far.

"Okay…" she breathed out, "…I'm gonna miss you!"

A smile spread across Tommy's face, and he picked her up, swinging her around, and then placing her back down in front of him.

"How is it that you always seem to remind me just how much I love you even if I haven't forgotten..?" he pushed her hair back, letting his hand rest on her cheek.

A touched smile spread across her face, and she leaned in to kiss him again.

"Tommy Quincy," she replied, looking deeply into his eyes, "I love you _so_ much…"

"I'll see you tomorrow, girl… bright and early!" he grinned.

"See you tomorrow!" she replied and started to step back, but she stopped suddenly and looked at him in confusion, "Bright and early? Not that I'm objecting to time with you, but… Why??"

"You're going with me to see the newly finished Rocksound studios," he grinned, knowing Jude was about to flip out.

"_Yep, here it comes, her eyes get big… then that big, gorgeous smile… and that deep breathe… here it comes..." _he thought to himself, unaware that his own face was lighting up more and more as hers did.

"Oh my god, Tommy!!" she hugged him, "This is great!! …Ugh! I have _such_ an amazing boyfriend!"

She kissed him, her arms around his neck before releasing and stepping back.

"I love ya, big eyes," Tommy said, also taking a step back, "See you tomorrow… I'll be here at eight…"

"I love you too, Quincy…" she smiled and started up the stairs.

"Oh, and Jude," he called up to her.

"Yeah?"

"Don't make me wait for you…" he teased, giving her a seductive smile, as he turned to face the door.

He walked outside, leaving her standing there with her famous "ouch!" look.

Tommy walked out onto the porch, closing the door behind him, and started for his car. He heard his name and turned to see Stuart leaned against his car with a cigarette in his hand.

"I just stepped outside for a little air…" Stuart said as Tommy walked over to him.

"And something else…" Tommy added, eyeing the cigarette.

Stuart looked down, rolled his eyes, and then back up, "Yeah… Nasty habit, I know…"

"I didn't know you smoked…" Tommy said, and also leaned against the car.

"I didn't… Not until all of the Darius, G-major drama…" he said before looking over at Tommy, "Jude and Sadie don't know…"

"I won't say a word," Tommy replied simply.

"I was just… so stressed thinking Jude was going to lose everything she loved… On top of losing her best friend, she was losing her music, her label, her dream!" Stuart explained with an almost sickened expression, before it turned into sympathy, "…And you…"

Tommy quickly looked up at him when he said the last part.

"Stuart, I…"

"I know…" he cut in, "Jude told me about Hunter… I know you're perfectly capable of running your life without my help, but Tom… You're an adult… You've never acted like anything other than that… But Jude… She's got the maturity of a person who's lived twice as long as her… I guess what I'm trying to say is… Trust her with the big stuff… Please… She's gonna get hurt just that much more if you don't…"

Tommy nodded, knowing Stuart was completely right. He sat there going over it in his head for a moment before Stuart's voice broke him from his thoughts.

"So, you haven't told Jude who your partner is yet, I noticed…"

"Yeah…" Tommy's eyes lit up, a small smile crossing his face, "I'm going to surprise her…"

"Who is it?" Stuart looked at Tommy with a raised eyebrow.

"Georgia."

"Georgia? Really?? Wow…" Stuart looked straight ahead, smiling, before looking back to his left at Tommy who had a satisfied grin on his face, "She's gonna love this, Tom…"


	3. All For You

**Chapter 3**

Tommy was leaned against his viper as Jude came rushing out of the house. He laughed at her enthusiasm, shaking his head.

"I'm here!" she breathed.

"You're late…"

"Hey! I'm worth the wait, Quincy!" she shot back with a grin.

"Yes, you are, girl…" he kissed her, "Ready to go?"

"After you…" she said, stepping back and motioning for him to pass.

"Funny, Harrison…" he smirked and opened the passenger side door, "Get in!"

They arrived at the studio and the first thing Jude noticed was the outline of the missing letters on the building that had read "G-major". It was still legible, and it was kind of ironic because it was almost like it had just faded away, which was pretty much what G-major, Darius, and Portia had done. They reached the doors of the not-so-G major, and Tommy slipped his hands over Jude's eyes.

Jude grinned and put her hands over his, "This better not be some weird at-work fantasy you're trying to live out, Quincy!"

Tommy stopped for a moment and then turned around quickly as if leaving.

"Tommy!" she exclaimed, turning to hit his arm playfully, but when she did, her mouth fell open as her eyes fell on the room behind him, "Oh my god, Tommy..!"

A smile spread across his face as he turned, moving beside her.

The walls were a golden color with black trim, and the furniture was black. The door to Darius's former office was also black, and one of Jude's posters hung on the far wall.

"So you like it?" he asked, leaning close to her ear.

She turned to him, and he slipped his arms around her waist as she slipped hers around his neck.

"It looks amazing! …I love it!" she put her forehead to his.

"You ain't seen nothing yet, girl…" he whispered with a smirk, moving behind her and covering her eyes.

"Oh yay, this again…" Jude sighed, "You know you _can _surprise me _without_ the hands!"

"Oh, can it, Harrison!" Tommy replied, "Hey, ladies! Come out here for a sec!"

"Ladies?" Jude asked in confusion.

He removed his hands so that Jude was looking straight ahead at the last person she expected to see.

Jude's mouth dropped open, "Oh my god…"

"Hi, Jude," she said with a bright smile.

"Georgia!" Jude exclaimed, embracing the brunette woman tightly.

"What are you doing here??" Jude asked as she pulled away.

"This…" Tommy cut-in, moving to Georgia's side, "is my partner…"

Jude's eyes widened and a smile spread over her face.

"So… what other surprises are going to make me squeal??" she asked, giving Tommy an 'I can't believe you didn't tell me!' look.

"I can answer that!" another voice called from across the room.

Jude's head jerked toward the direction she'd heard the voice coming from to see E.J. leaned against the wall with her arms crossed and a smirk on her face.

"E.J.??" Jude's asked, eyes wide and jaw dropped as she put her palm to her head in utter shock, feeling as if she might pass out.

E.J. ran to her and embraced her excitedly.

"Okay, I have to ask!" E.J. exclaimed, pulling away with her hands on Jude's shoulders, "Who is responsible for this make-over that somehow just came out of nowhere after we left??"

"I don't know!" Jude laughed, "I guess you can just blame maturity!"

"Well, thank God for it!" she replied, only to be elbowed by Tommy, "I mean… You looked fine before but now-! …Um… Tommy, have you been using a new gel or something? Cause you look great!!"

E.J. flashed Tommy a winning smile, and he just rolled his eyes.

"No but really… There's something different about you…"

"You do look amazing though, Jude…" Georgia smiled gently.

Tommy smiled proudly, and his eyes met with Jude's. Their eyes softened as they met, and a gentle smile crossed Jude's face. Georgia and E.J. exchanged looks at this, neither missing the subtle yet powerful vibe they were giving off.

"So…" Georgia spoke up, "Have you given her the tour?"

Tommy snapped out of the their moment, "Umm, not yet… I wanted her to see you first…"

"You're gonna love it!" Georgia smiled.

Jude turned to look at Tommy with an eager grin and held out her hand. Tommy took it and led her into the next room, giving Georgia and E.J. a quick enthusiastic smile before rounding the corner.

"He seems oddly happy…" E.J. spoke up, staring at the place where Tommy and Jude had just been standing.

"I know…" Georgia replied, also staring at the same place, "You know what that means…"

"What?"

"Either he's doing something he shouldn't, or something bad's about to go down…" Georgia replied as they walked back into the office.


	4. Let It Be

**Chapter 4**

As Jude and Tommy began to walk through the former G major, Jude noticed a SME poster, also, on the other wall, a poster of Mason and another of Karma, and then Jude turned to see the final poster. Tears formed in her eyes, and she covered her mouth. In the Center of the wall to her right was a poster-sized photo of Patsy, and at the top, it read "Like a shooting star".

She took a few steps closer to it to read the bottom that said, "In Memory of Patsy Sewer 1988-2007. She will never fade away."

Tommy walked up beside her, and she turned to look at him, her eyes filled with tears.

"…Thank you…" she said in what was barely a whisper.

As she lost her control on her tears, Tommy unfolded his arms to hug her and she met him immediately, wrapping her arms around his waist, as he hugged her tightly around her shoulders.

About five minutes passed before they decided to go back into the lobby. But while they were making their way to the front, Georgia appeared from behind the big, black doors of Darius's old office.

"Tom…" she said, causing both Tommy and Jude to stop and look over at her, "Could I talk to you about something for a sec?"

"Sure…" he turned to Jude before following into the office, adding, "I'll be right back…"

She nodded and went to sit in the lobby.

They entered the office, closed the door, and both sat down, Georgia behind the desk, and Tommy in front of it.

"Tom, I've… I've been sensing something for a while now, but I thought I was maybe just… imagining it, so I didn't say anything, but now I have to ask…" Georgia paused for a moment and clasped her hands together, trying to choose her words carefully, "You and Jude… Do you…"

"-Are you dating her?" E.J. finished, crossing from behind Tommy to lean on the desk.

Tommy looked down as an amused look crossed his face. He stood and crossed to the door.

"Tom?" Georgia asked in confusion.

"Jude… Come here for a sec…" Tommy called out of the door, walking with her to the seats as she came into the room.

Georgia gave him a frustrated look.

"What's going on..?" Jude asked, looking from Tommy to the others and back again.

"I was just asking Tommy, here, something that I'd been curious about lately…" Georgia answered, not taking her eyes off of Tommy.

Jude looked at Tommy with a questioning look.

"Georgia was asking about our relationship, so I thought you should be here…" Tommy replied simply.

"Oh…" was all Jude could think of to say.

"So…??" E.J. asked impatiently.

"First off, Jude was with me in Europe the past few months, but not for promotions like you assumed… I asked her to go because I love her…" Tommy began, looking over at Jude as he said the last part.

A gentle smile crossed Jude's face when she heard him say that and their eyes locked.

"And to answer your question E.J., yes, me and Jude are dating…"

There was silence for a minute before E.J. broke it by letting out a slightly high-pitched, "Aw!"

"E.J., please…" Georgia held up a hand, "Not now…"

She met eyes with Tommy, silent for a moment.

"We're going to have to discuss this… There have to be rules here… This has to be a professional relationship while you're here… Maybe… maybe you should let Kwest take over as her producer…"

"What?? No!" Jude exclaimed.

"Jude, could I speak to Tommy alone for a moment?" Georgia asked, looking down at her hands.

"She's not a child, Georgia! She has the right to be here-"

"She should be a child to you!" Georgia shot, glaring at Tommy in disbelief, "She's seven years younger than you, Tom! …And just turned 18!"

Tommy noticed he had stood up at some point during this and was leaning on his hands which were resting on top of the desk.

"I love her, Georgia… Like I've never loved anything in my life…" Tommy began, slowly looking up until his eyes met with hers, "I have wanted this so much… and waited _so_ long… But now she's mine… She's _my_ girl… And if you stop us from working together… If you take that from me, and give it to Kwest… Then don't expect me to come back through those doors again…"

Jude let out a small and quiet gasp, looking at him in utter disbelief and shock. The room was dead silent for about a minute before anyone would speak.

"I can't afford to lose you, Tom…" Georgia finally spoke.

"I can't afford to lose Jude."

"Why does working with her mean so much to you??" Georgia asked in frustration.

"Because…" Tommy turned away.

"Tom…" Silence, "Tom!" Georgia snapped harshly.

"Because it's the only thing I've done right!" he turned quickly, putting his hands back on the desk, "Because… because she makes me better!"

"Tom, I've always told you the truth, and I don't plan to stop now… I've known you for a long time now… And I care about you…" Georgia said calmly, now also standing up, "…And I think this goes deeper than you realize… This isn't just about producing Jude… Tom, before she came along, you were unhappy… You were slow to trust, obsessed with work… You put _so_ many walls up… But you were passionate about music… You _lived _for it… That was your life-!"

"What's your point, Georgia?" Tommy, whose eyes hadn't left the desk through her entire speech, cut-in, his voice shaking a little as he fought back his emotions.

"Tom, when Angie died, something inside you died with her… And Jude brought back that life, that… spark… She made you feel alive again, everyone could see it!" she continued, "And you couldn't do anything about it… So you - both of you – put all of that into your music… Tom… Just because you aren't working with Jude doesn't mean you're going to lose her, or what you two have, or… or yourself…"

Tommy looked up at her when she said this.

"…Tommy, don't be too afraid to lose her that you never let yourself really have her to begin with… She loves you, Tom… We all can see it… So don't leave her out… Don't hold back… She's got you, T… You're going to be okay!" Georgia smiled, touching his cheek.

"I'm sorry…" he said, his voice was low and barely over a whisper.

A confused look crossed Georgia's face before Tommy turned to face Jude, taking her hands and lifting her to her feet, "I'm sorry for everything… All those times I hurt you… When we kissed on your sixteenth birthday, when I… when… me and Sadie… and when I left on the night of our first real date without giving you any details… What I did to you on your 18th birthday because of Hunter and… Sadie… For everything… I hate myself every time I even think about how much I've hurt you…" he paused to collect his thoughts, "Jude, I-"

Jude cut him off by connecting her lips with his, her hands resting on both of his cheeks. She pulled away after a moment, and he looked into her eyes, which were filled with tears.

"I love you, Quincy…" she whispered.

He brushed his nose against hers, "I love you too, big eyes…"

She smiled genuinely before they parted and turned to face the others, Jude wiping her dampened cheeks as they did.

"You two go… We can talk tomorrow…" Georgia spoke, crossing to them, "But please promise me you'll lay low until we decide what to do about the press…"

"You got it," Tommy replied, touching her arm, "Thank you…"


	5. Party Like a Rockstar

**Chapter 5**

After about a week, the new studio was ready to begin business, and Tommy sat flipping through a magazine he'd found lying around while waiting patiently in the room where Jude and E.J. were trying to figure out what she would wear to the party. She walked to the mirror in a short and sophisticated, black dress to look at herself once more. Obviously pleased, she turned to get a side view, and as she looked at her reflection, Tommy wasn't hiding the fact that he was looking too. She turned to Tommy, placing her hands on her hips, and gave him a sexy look.

"How do I look?" she asked, and smiled at the look on Tommy's face.

He was looking over the magazine with raised eyebrows as his eyes looked up and down her body.

"I'm just so glad you're mine! Cause… wow…" he replied as he stood and crossed to the

front of her, wrapping his arms around her waist.

She smiled gently at him and kissed his lightly.

"You don't look so bad yourself, Quincy!" she said, noticing the suit he had chosen for

the party.

She ran her hand over his tie with a bright smile on her face.

Tommy had gotten used to that smile over the past few months, and was made aware by

many that he too had adopted a trademark smile of his own.

"So how bout we change and go get some lunch?"

"Sounds good!" Jude replied, her smile widening.

"I don't think so, Quincy! Out!" she said, pointing to the door.

Tommy gave her a seductive smile as he crossed over to her and turned her to face the mirror.

He hugged her so that her back was against his chest, and began to kiss the side of her neck.

"Nice try, but you're still not watching me change!" she said, trying to keep her voice from shaking.

Tommy stopped immediately, lingering there a moment, before he ran his hand up the side of her waist and kissed the back of her neck once.

"Later then…" he whispered into her ear.

The sound of his scratchy whisper and the sensation of his breath on her sent chills up her spine, and she felt her skin growing warmer.

After he spoke, Tommy turned and walked casually out of the room with a smirk.

He exited his own changing room a few minutes later, back in his jeans and t-shirt.

"T!" a voice called from behind Tommy as he walked down the hallway.

He turned and immediately a smile spread across his face.

"Kwest, man, long time no see!" Tommy said, shaking his hand and hitting him on the shoulder.

"You're telling me!" Kwest replied, "How was the trip?"

"It was..." Tommy began, his eyes falling on Jude who he could see coming out of the room down the hall as he looked over Kwest's shoulder.

She had taken her hair down, and it was lying on her shoulders in loose curls. She had also changed into a white, long-sleeved shirt with a gray vest over it which gave her a very professional, business-woman sort of look which Tommy found very sexy.

"Amazing..." he finished, and though it applied also, he wasn't really talking about the trip anymore.

Seeing the look on his face, Kwest turned to see Jude approaching them, and a grin crossed his face.

"Kwest??" Jude exclaimed, noticing who Tommy was talking to.

"Hey, Jude," Kwest replied, hugging her warmly, pulling away after a moment, "You know... There are a couple of knuckleheaded musicians in the lobby that're dying to seeing you..."

Jude's eyes lit up and a huge smile spread onto her face as she turned to Tommy, "I'll just be a minute!"

Tommy let out a small laugh as Jude started down the hall toward he lobby.

"Harrison!" he called out, causing Jude to stop and turn around, "Don't keep me waiting!"

She smirked and rolled her eyes, "I keep telling you, Quincy... I'm worth the wait!"

She gave him a sexy grin before continuing toward the lobby.

Tommy watched as she walked down the hallway until she had rounded the corner. When he finally turned back around, Kwest was smirking at him and shaking his head.

"What?" Tommy asked, trying to hide the smile that was creeping onto his face.

"How did you two hold off this long?"

Tommy just laughed in response, also shaking his head.

"My stupidity!" he added after a moment, and Kwest laughed in agreement.

"So what's it like?" Kwest asked after a moment, as they headed toward the lobby.

"What?" Tommy gave him a questioning look.

"Finally having the girl you've wanted for the past three years?"

"You want the truth? Cause to be honest, it's gonna sound really cheesy…"

Kwest laughed, "Try me!"

Turning so that he was looking straight ahead, Tommy spoke, "It's… perfect… Scary as hell! But… It's changed me… She's changed me…"

"So… Is Tom Quincy _actually happy_??" Kwest mocked after a moment.

Tommy just pushed Kwest in the shoulder and laughed.

They walked in silence for a moment before Tommy spoke up again.

"I love her, man…"

"Bout time you realized that!" Kwest laughed, "I tried telling you that a long time ago!"

Tommy laughed as they reached the lobby.

[3 minutes earlier

"Dude!!" Spiederman's voice called as Jude entered the lobby.

She rushed over to the three musicians, giving each a warm hug, "I missed you guys so much!"

"It definitely wasn't the same around here without you!" Spied replied, and the three guys exchanged glances, "So… How was your trip with Tommy?"

He said Tommy's name in a sort of sing-song voice while Wally and Kyle chimed in, and Jude rolled her eyes and hit Spiederman in the arm playfully.

"Come on, we want to know!" Spied teased.

"But please, not too detailed… I'd like to keep my lunch down…" Kyle added with a smirk.

"There was nothing like that!" Jude replied with a laugh, "It was… nice…"

The three looked at each other again deviously.

"Oh no…" Jude said, backing away, but before she could run, they had surrounded her group-hug style, circling and tossing her around while singing, "Jude and Squinty sitting in a tree K-I-S-S-I-N-G!!"

Tommy and Kwest rolled their eyes and laughed at the sight before them when they entered the lobby.

"I believe they're referring to you…" Kwest joked.

"Yeah, thanks! Ya think?" Tommy laughed before crossing to the others.

"Okay guys, very funny!" he spoke over them, grabbing Jude's arm and pulling her out of their grasp, "I am your boss now, so I have to demand some respect from you three!"

"Thanks," Jude replied sweetly, before her knees gave out beneath her.

"Woah!" Tommy said, catching her and pulling her close to him, "You okay?"

"Yeah!" Jude let out a small, embarrassed laugh, "Just dizzy…"

"Sorry, dude…" Spiederman spoke up.

"You sure?" Tommy asked her, pushing a strand of hair from her face with one hand, keeping a firm hold on her.

Jude nodded and smiled sweetly again, pulling away just enough to take her weight off of his arm. The SME boys smirked at each other as they watched the two in front of them.

"So, what's with the reunion?" Kyle spoke up after a moment.

"Yeah," Spied added, "Kwest said we aren't gonna start recording for another few days…"

"Yeah, but you're going to need to get everything ready for the party…" Tommy replied with mock-indifference.

"Party?" the three musicians asked in unison, and Tommy nodded.

"Wait… is this like an executive, best-foot-forward, stuffy shirt and tie sorta thing or a real party?" Spied asked skeptically.

Tommy looked at him questioningly, "It is me you're talking to here…"

A smile spread across Spiederman and the other boys' faces.

"But…" Tommy added quickly, "Seeing as how this party does have a purpose, and that Georgia and I had to come to an agreement on what to do with this particular party-"

"We have to suffer through the executive, best-foot-forward, stuffy shirt and tie party first… Then we get to have the real party!" Jude finished for him.

"Thanks," Tommy said sarcastically, giving her a look.

"No problem, Quincy, that's what I'm here for!" she replied, flashing a bright smile, to which he just shook his head.

"So we're gonna hang here til everyone corporate-y leaves and then party like rockstars?" Spied asked.

"Nope!" Jude piped up but quickly went silent when Tommy glared at her, "Sorry… Please continue, boss…"

"We're all going to Georgia's place afterwards…"

Spiederman just stared for a moment before speaking up, "Um… Dude, as fond as we all are of G…"

"She doesn't strike you as the partying type…" Kyle finished.

"She's got a huge place, an amazing sound system, indoor pool, and a hot tube," Tommy replied simply.

"Dude!!" Spiederman exclaimed as the three guys exchanged high fives.

Tommy and Jude laughed at their dangerous amount of enthusiasm.

"So, when's the party? Or… Parties?" Wally asked after all the excitement had died down a bit.

"Tomorrow night at seven," Tommy replied.

"I'm so hungry..!" Jude thought aloud, and everyone began laughing, "What?!"

"When are you not thinking of food??" Kyle teased.

"Yep, that's my girl! One track mind…" Tommy grinned, looking at her affectionately, "You ready to go?"

"Yes, please!" she nodded, "We'll see you guys later!"

Tommy waved as she pulled him away.

"Woah, girl!" he laughed, regaining his balance and putting his arm around her shoulders as she hugged his waist.

"Hot tub, huh?" she asked in a flirty tone as they walked.

The SME boys, who were still in ear shot, grinned at the couple and shook their heads.

"Those two are hopeless!" Spiederman laughed.

"Kinda like a certain married couple I know…" Kyle added quietly.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You and the ice queen, man…" Kyle explained, "She's just using you for publicity!"

"Dude, don't talk about things you don't understand," Spiederman said coldly before walking away.

"Spied," Wally tried, but Kyle stopped him.

"Don't… It's not worth it…"


	6. Broken

**Chapter 6**

Once they were finished with lunch, they got into Tommy's viper and headed towards Jude's house, but once they got there, Jude saw an unfamiliar and… expensive car in the drive-way.

"Whose car is that?" Tommy asked, and Jude just shook her head with a confused look.

They both got out of the car and walked to the door. Jude opened it and walked in with Tommy following right behind her.

She stopped dead once she rounded the corner to the living room.

"Woah!" Tommy said, bumping into her.

"Oh my god…" was all that Jude could say as she stared ahead with a look of disbelief that caused Tommy to look up.

"Oh my god…" he repeated.

"Hi, honey…" Victoria said from the living room, "Tommy."

"Mom??" "Mrs. Harrison!" Jude and Tommy exclaimed at the same time.

"Mrs. Scott, actually," she replied, eying Tommy as if he had some sort of disease.

Jude shot her dad, who was standing on the far side of the living room, a look as if asking 'What the hell is going on here??', but he just shrugged and shook his head also looking very confused.

Then Jude's eyes fell on Sadie who was in the far right corner, avoiding eye contact with Jude.

"Mom… What are you doing here?" she asked, finally turning her eyes back to her.

"Well, you sister called and told me about you and Tom here..!"

Jude immediately turned to Sadie, "And what exactly did she tell you?"

"Enough… How he told you he loved you, whisked you off to Europe without your father's consent… And I can only imagine what else…" Victoria answered with a look of disgust on her face.

"I didn't say it like that!" Sadie added defensively.

"Mrs. Har-um… Scott… With all due respect, what do you find so unpleasant about me?"

"Besides all those tabloids that you always seem to land yourself in almost every week, breaking my eldest's heart, and the fact that you're dating my eighteen year old daughter, I don't trust you…" she answers quickly, "And I think it's stupid and irresponsible for you to risk Jude's career and reputation for some little fling!"

"This isn't a fling!" Jude shot.

"Oh Jude, don't be so naïve!"

"It isn't!" Tommy exclaimed, feeling his anger rising a little.

"Oh really??" she countered, "Then what exactly would [iyou[/i call it?"

"Mrs. Scott, I love your daughter…" Tommy said simply but honestly.

"You actually expect me to believe that?" she laughed.

"It's not my concern whether you believe me or not…" he replies, "I only care that she knows…"

"I'm sure you do…"

"Victoria…" Stuart tired but was quickly cut-off.

"Stuart, don't even start, you're the one who's been letting our daughter date this… this… Pedophile!"

"Hey!" "Mom!!" Tommy and Jude both said at once.

"What? You think a seven year difference and the fact that you're screwing your client doesn't qualify you as that??" Victoria shot back, "Jude, I thought I raised you to be smarter than that…"

"We haven't even had sex!" Jude yelled.

"Look… I know you can probably think of about a hundred reasons why you wouldn't want me to be with your daughter, but I know I've made mistakes, and they haunt me every day, but I have learned from them, and now, I would [inever[/i do anything to hurt her… I really do love her…"

"You made Sadie believe that you could love her too!"

"I didn't love Sadie!" he yelled, before looking at Sadie, "I'm sorry, but..."

Sadie waved him off with a sad smile. She'd known that for a while now.

"Why not?!" Victoria was now yelling.

"Because I was in love with Jude!" Tommy said with a raised and frustrated voice.

"What's so special about her??" Victoria yelled.

Her hand shot up to cover her mouth immediately after the words had escaped it, a look of horror on her face.

Stuart had whipped around when he heard her, and Sadie was staring in shock. Tommy, however, looked as if he were about to crack at any moment and lose the little control he had left over his anger.

"…Jude, I didn't mea-!" Victoria choked out, but was cut-off by Jude, who had stepped forward, closing in the space between the woman and her.

"I don't need advice on how to live my life from someone who isn't even part of it…" Jude said through clenched teeth, lingering there for a moment before turning and heading toward the door.

"Tommy…" she said as she passed him but stopped at the door when he didn't move, "Tommy, come on."

He hesitated for a moment, glaring at the woman standing in front of him, before turning and walking out behind Jude.


	7. Behind Blue Eyes

**Chapter 7**

**(in this chapter, I use a song by Kelly Clarkson, but I changed the words around a bit so… Here you go! Hah)**

"Jude, are you okay?" Tommy asked, as they sat in his car.

"Take me to your place?" she replied, avoiding the question.

Tommy nodded and started the car, pulling out and heading toward his house. They drove in silence as Jude stared out the window at the trees they passed. Tommy pulled into the driveway and came to a slow stop.

"_I like his house," _Jude thought to herself, looking up at the house crossing her arms to keep warm, _"It's not huge like I imagined… but not small… It's stone and wood and looks a bit like a cabin… A very nice, very well-kept cabin..."_

She also noticed that the house was kind of secluded… Surrounded by trees and a little bit of a drive from G major. It wasn't too long, but not like Jude's drive.

"_He goes out of his way when he picks me up…" _She also realized, suddenly feeling a little bad about asking him to pick her up so much.

He walks around and holds out a hand to Jude. She unfolds her arms and takes his in hers, and he leads her to the door after giving her a soft, gentle smile and kissing her on the forehead.

Once they were inside, Jude began to write feverishly as Tommy went to fix them some hot cocoa.

Twenty minutes later, she looked up at Tommy with relief in her eyes.

"Done?" he asked, noticing her movement.

"Mm hm," Jude nodded.

He crossed over and sat next to her on the couch, taking the notebook in his hand and beginning to read.

"_Because of You"_Tommy read silently,

"_I will not make the same mistakes that you did _

_I will not let myself cause a heart so much misery _

_I will not run the way you did _

_I fell so hard _

_But I've learned the hard way, _

_To never let it get that far _

_Because of you _

_I never stray too far _

_From the sidewalk _

_Because of you _

_I learned to play on the safe side _

_So I don't get hurt _

_Because of you _

_I find it hard to trust not only me, _

_But everyone around me _

_Because of you _

_I am afraid _

_I choose my own way _

_And it's not too long before you're having doubts _

_I cannot cry _

_Because I know that's weakness in your eyes _

_I'm forced to fake, _

_A smile, a laugh every day of my life _

_My heart can't possibly break _

_When it wasn't even whole to start with _

_Because of you _

_I never stray too far _

_From the sidewalk _

_Because of you _

_I learned to play on the safe side _

_So I don't get hurt _

_Because of you _

_I find it hard to trust not only me, _

_But everyone around me _

_Because of you _

_I am afraid _

_I watched you die _

_I heard you cry_

_Every night in your sleep _

_I was so young _

_You should have known better than _

_To lean on me_

_You never thought of anyone else _

_You just saw your pain _

_But I no longer cry from my dreams at night_

_Of watching you as you leave!_

_[Chorus_

_Because of you _

_I tried my hardest just to forget everything _

_Because of you _

_I have to figure out how to let even him in _

_Because of you _

_I've been changin my heart to fill the part that's empty _

_Because of you _

_I am afraid _

_Because of you_

_Because of you"_

When Tommy had finished reading the song, he sighed and ran his hand through his hair.

"Wow…" he breathed before looking up at Jude, "That was… amazing, girl…"

"Really?" she asked shyly.

Sure Tommy had read her work countless times before, but this time was different. This song wasn't about him, or love, or anything like that...

He gave her a knowing look, "Would I lie?"

"Would you?" she asked with a pleading look, remembering what her mother had said.

Tommy's face fell when she looked at him that way, and pain filled his eyes.

"Baby, no…" he said, placing a hand on her cheek, "Never again…"

She nodded, knowing it was the truth, and mentally kicked herself for asking him such a question. Another pained look passed Jude's face as she thought about the last thing her mother had said to her.

Tommy, as if reading her mind, moved his other hand so that he was holding her face in both and said in a quiet and sincere voice, "I love you, Jude… Like I've never loved anyone… You are everything to me, and I wouldn't change one thing about you…ever..."

She nodded, a tear rolling down her cheek, which he quickly wiped away with his thumb.

"You're perfect, Jude…" he added before leaning in and kissing her gently.

Jude, who was almost to tears, put all of her emotion into that kiss. Tommy moved his hand to her back and pulled her closer to him as the kiss was deepened, and after a moment, Jude silently came to a very big decision. She reached down to the hem of his shirt and lifted it a little until Tommy raised his arms, allowing her to remove it completely. Jude's breath caught in her throat as her hand touched his muscular design, but he quickly pulled her back into the kiss, lying back on the couch without breaking the connection and taking Jude down with him. After a minute, she pulled away and began to unbutton her shirt slowly, and once it was removed, Tommy's eyes filled with lust as he ran his hand along the curve of her waist, in awe of her. After another five minutes of this, a sudden panicked look passed his face.

"Wait," he said standing up quickly, "We can't…"

"What?" she asked in a hurt tone, "What's wrong?"

He looked down at her and saw the pain and fear in her eyes, and sat quickly, placing a hand on her cheek.

"Oh, baby, no… Nothing's wrong…" he assured her, but Jude still didn't understand.

"Then why don't you want to…" she trailed off, motioning toward the couch they were sitting on.

"I do!" he replied immediately, "_So_ much…"

"Then what is it, Tommy?" she stared into his eyes, searching for something, before her eyes took on an even more pleading look as she asked, "…Do you think that I'll be bad at it..?"

"I…" he trailed off, not knowing how to say what he needed to.

Jude's eyes dropped.

"I get it…" she said, standing up, putting her shirt back on, and grabbing her stuff, "I won't push you anymore… I'll see you at G major tomorrow night, Tommy. Goodbye."

She rushed out the door, pulling out her cell phone and kept running down the street. Tommy followed her but after a minute, he turned to get back into his viper and pulled out in the direction Jude had gone.

When he didn't see her, he called her phone, but the call was ignored.

"Damn it!" he yelled, hitting the steering wheel of his viper which was now pulled over.

He leaned his head against his fist which was still resting against the wheel. He was jerked from his thoughts only a moment later by the sound of his phone ringing.

"Jude??" he answered without looking at the screen.

"Tommy, it's Spied," a voice spoke from the other end.

"Spied, I don't really have time to talk, I'm trying to find-"

"Jude… Yeah, I know…" Spiederman cut him off, "She called me… She asked me to pick her up… She sounded really upset, but she wouldn't tell me what happened, and really, it's none of my business, so you don't have to tell me either…"

"It was a complete misunderstanding! She thought I didn't want to… Nevermind, that's not important… Where is she?"

"I think she needs you to give her a little space right now…" Spiederman responded, "I'm getting her and taking her home, so you don't have to worry about that… And… Maybe she'll wanna talk in few hours…"

"Yeah…" Tommy rubbed his temples, "Yeah, okay…"

"Later, man…" Spiederman said before hanging up as he pulled up to a gas station not two miles from Tommy's house.

Jude, who'd been sitting with her knees pulled to her chest hidden by a drink machine, stood and got into the passenger's seat of his car, her make-up smeared down her cheeks. They sat in silence for the most of the ride before Spiederman couldn't take it anymore.

"Jude, what happened?" he asked in genuine concern.

She hesitated for a moment but couldn't hold back anymore.

"I embarrassed myself! I was stupid to ever think he loved me… And then I almost…" she trailed off as tears filled her eyes.

"Almost what?" he pushed.

"I almost slept with him, Spied! Okay?? "

"Oh…" Spied replied, not really knowing what to say, "…If it's not weird for me to ask… What happened? I mean, like… What stopped you?"

"He did… He said he couldn't… and when I asked why, he couldn't even give me a reason!" she said, now crying freely.

"What if he had a good reason and just couldn't think of how to say it..?" Spied tried, pulling up outside Jude's house which luckily was now Victoria-less.

"Thanks for going to get me…" she replied, wanting their conversation to end, "I'm tired… And I don't really feel like talking about it right now… But I'll see you later…"

He nodded, and with that, Jude got out and made her way up to the front door.

She stayed in her room the remainder of the afternoon, writing feverishly in her notebook, and then, after hours of working on the song she'd been writing, she decided to go to bed early. Tomorrow was definitely going to be interesting.


	8. Apologize

Chapter 8

The next day, Jude was finishing the final touches to her make-up for the party when her phone rang for about the hundredth time, and she ignored yet another call from Tommy. Just as she hit the button, she heard a knock on the door, jarring her from her thoughts.

"Who is it?" Jude asked suspiciously.

"Dude, are you like naked in there?" Speiderman joked from the other side of the door.

She let out a small laugh before opening the door for him. After stepping in, he closed the door behind him, looking at her in awe.

"Very nice!" he grinned, looking her up and down in a non-sexual way.

"You are quite handsome-looking yourself, Vinny!" she smiled.

He beamed at her proudly until hearing the much-hated first name reference at the end of her "compliment".

"Talked to him yet?" he asked after a moment, adopting a more serious tone.

Jude shook her head, looking down, "I couldn't… not yet…"

Sensing that she needed a friend at that moment, he held out his elbow to her.

"Well… In that case, do I have the privilege of escorting you out, muh-lady?"

"What about Karma?" she asked in response.

He rolled his eyes and sighed.

"She wanted to 'make a grand entrance' and show up 'fashionably late'," he answered, using air quotes when needed, "And when I told her that I wasn't going to, she decided to come by herself… She should be here in about fifteen minutes… Can't wait…"

"You sure have a lot more patience than I gave you credit for, Spied!" Jude laughed.

"I keep trying to convince you guys, I'm just wonderful like that!" he added, also laughing, "So how about that escorting?"

"Thank you, sir! It would be an honor!" she smiled widely, taking his arm and walking out toward the lobby.

They entered and were immediately swept over to some men in business suits by Georgia.

"So where's your partner, Georgia?" one man asked after about five minutes of talking, "I want to meet this wonderful producer I've heard so much about!"

"Um…" Georgia looked around for a moment, "Well… I will go find him right now!"

She walked around for a few minutes before seeing a light coming from one of the studios. She opened the studio door to find Tommy who was sitting at the oh-so-familiar soundboard lost in his own thoughts, which was no surprise to her; she expected to find him there the moment she couldn't find him in the lobby.

"Quincy, you're supposed to be mingling…" she said with a soft smile, breaking him from his thoughts.

Tommy whipped around in his chair quickly, but calmed again once he saw Georgia's gentle expression.

"We haven't even begun recording, and your workaholic tendencies are already beginning to show," she added teasingly.

Tommy let out a small, half-hearted laugh, "Well, you know me!"

"Yeah, I do…" Georgia said softly in a more serious tone, "Talk to me, Tom…"

"Georgia…" he sighed, looking at the ground.

"Tom, I just worry about you that's all-"

"How is it that you know exactly when I'm down?" he cut-in with a gentle smile.

Georgia's expression changed into that of a humored look as she reached out a hand to help him up.

"Guess it just comes with the territory!" she joked, "So you're okay? Nothing too serious?"

Tommy shook his head lightly with a half-smile, "Nothing serious…"

"Then let's go, I wasn't kidding about the mingling thing! Your public is asking for you!" Georgia joked, nodding her head toward the door.

In the Lobby

"There they are!" E.J. said with a forced smile, as she and Jude were having to help entertain the business man from earlier, something that E.J. didn't like at all.

Jude looked away quickly after her eyes fell on him, her breath catching in her throat.

"Tom, this is Bryan Sommers. Bryan, this is Tom Quincy… Tom, Bryan is a…" Georgia introduced, but as Jude felt Tommy's arm brush against hers, she went deaf to everything being said around.

"Well, Miss Harrison," Bryan Sommers spoke after a minute, breaking her from her thoughts, "It was very nice meeting you."

"Very nice meeting you too!" Jude smiled, shaking the man's hand.

"Charming girl…" Sommers whispered to Georgia and Tommy as Spiederman walked back over to them to tell Jude something about the up-coming performance, "She'll go far..."

With that, he shook Tommy's hand and gave Georgia a quick smile before he was off to speak with other potential clients.

"You ready?" Georgia smiled, placing a hand on Jude's back.

"Ready?" she asked, still shaken by Tommy's presence.

"For your song…" Georgia added, now with slight concern.

"Oh, sorry, yeah!" Jude mentally kicked herself.

"Well, you're on in two minutes… Do you need some water or something?"

"No, I think I'm okay…" Jude replied with a sweet smile, "Thanks, Georgia…"

After giving her a small smile and patting her arm reassuringly, Georgia walked over to talk to some of the sound guys. Jude's throat suddenly became very dry due to her nerves, and she quickly turned to walk to the stage, stopping abruptly when she almost ran into Tommy who, to Jude's surprise, was standing fairly close behind.

"I… here…" he mumbled, handing her a water bottle he'd gone to get her only moments before, "Thought you might need this…"

"Thanks…" she said and almost smiled before catching herself, mumbling a quick "I could've gotten it…" before hurrying off to her place at the side of the stage.

Tommy lingered there for a moment before joining Georgia on the opposite side of the stage just as Jude's name was announced.

She walked onto the stage, smiling brightly as she approached the mic stand while Wally, Kyle, and Spied took their places behind her.

"Hi everyone… I was originally planning to sing "Where Does It Hurt" but inspiration hit me yesterday… hard…" she began and glanced at Tommy momentarily when the last word escaped her mouth, but quickly turned back to her audience, "So I'd like to sing a new song for you called "If You're Gonna Leave" …I hope you like it…"

The music started to play behind her, and she closed her eyes, allowing it to fill her soul, not opening them until it was time for her to sing.

"Maybe I'm the joker   
Maybe I'm the fool in your eyes,"

Jude sang out, glancing over again at Tommy as she sang the first two lines before continuing out to the audience,  
"Maybe I'm the weak one  
Maybe I'm a lie in disguise  
Maybe I'm angry  
Cause I'm the one who's always wrong  
Maybe I'm not the one who's so strong…

But did you think about it  
Did you pull it in and pull out  
Could you live without me  
Did you ever really have a doubt  
But do you understand it baby  
When you say its over, its done  
Maybe I'm not the one…

So If you're gonna Leave  
Then you better get going   
Cause I'm not wasting no more time  
On what you did and what you didn't.  
So if you're gonna leave  
Yeah, you better start running  
Cause I'm not wasting no more time  
On what it might have been

We can stand on reason  
We can fight about all the things  
Could this be forever?  
Are you too afraid to wait and see?  
Do you understand it baby  
When you say its over its done?  
Maybe I'm not the one…

So If you're gonna Leave   
Then you better get going  
Cause I'm not wasting no more time  
On what I did and what I didn't.  
So if you're gonna leave  
Yeah, you better start running  
Cause I'm not wasting no more time…" 

"Tom...?" Georgia warned in an almost sing-song voice, never taking her eyes off of Jude, "What did you do?"

"Once again my brain worked slower than my mouth and… yeah… It was an accident, I promise! A complete misunderstanding… But I have a plan!"

"Whoa did it happen again?  
The things that you wanted  
Maybe just being friends…  
How did it happen again?  
Just look onward, baby,   
Is 'some day' ever gonna begin? Yeah!"

"Let's hope so…" Georgia replied, still focused on the blonde onstage, pouring her heart out to the audience who seemed captivated by her.

"So If you're gonna Leave  
Then you better get going  
Cause I not wasting no more time  
On what I did and what I didn't.  
So if you're gonna leave  
Yeah, you better start running  
Cause I'm not wasting no more time,

I'm not wasting no more time,

I'm not wasting no more time…  
On what it might have been."

She finished singing and the room filled with applause. Jude, who was looking down toward the end of the song, was now finally pulled from her thoughts.

"Thank you," she said into the mic giving the audience a forced smile and walking off the stage, passing Tommy without even a glance and heading for the room that her clothes were in.

As Tommy stared after her, Georgia moved so that she was beside him, looking from Tommy to Jude.

"Whatever your plan is… It's gonna need to be something big… I don't think I've seen her this upset in a while…" she spoke up.

"You have no idea …" he replied softly in a voice that seemed almost nervous, turning back to Georgia with desperate and pleading eyes.

"…What can I do?" she asked after a moment, as if giving in to a crying child.

"All I need is just two… three minutes onstage," Tommy replied quickly.

After thinking it over for a moment, Georgia finally agreed, "But I need to know what you're going to say… I can't just let you go up there without having some clue… And It's not that I don't trust you, Tom, it's not… It's just… There're so many influential people here, not to mention the paparazzi-"

"Georgia, I know…" he cut her off, smiling gently, "I'm just… I have to show her… I can't just talk anymore, it's not enough this time… I have to tell her… I have to tell everyone how I feel about her... I don't know what I'm going to say, but I need to do this… Please?"

Georgia stared silently into Tommy eyes for what to him seemed like hours with an expression that was impossible to read before her eyes finally softened and she let out a sigh.

"Alright…" she gave in, "But only because you two are perfect for each other and happier than I've ever seen you…"

"Have I told you lately just how amazing you really are??" he replied thankfully.

"Not nearly enough."

About ten minutes, Jude heard a knock on the door, and Spiederman's voice from behind it, "Dude, you might want to come see this..."

"Come see what?" she asked, opening the door.

He nodded toward the front, "On stage... Trust me. You'll want to see this..."

Jude sighed and rolled her eyes, "Okay... I'm coming..."

As they walked toward the lobby, Jude could make-out Georgia's voice speaking into a microphone, but she couldn't quite understand what she was saying. As they neared the stage, Georgia's voice stopped and the crowd of people began to clap. Once they were around to the front of the stage, Jude's eyes fell on Tommy who was standing in front of the microphone, and she immediately stiffened before turning to walk away but stopped when she felt Spiederman's hand grab her arm.

"Just wait..." he pleaded as Jude stared at him in confusion.

She hesitated for a moment before finally turning back around to face the stage.

"Hi," Tommy began, a smile passing his face briefly before he looked down and cleared his throat nervously, "I wanted to share something personal tonight which is not something I do... well, ever..."

The audience laughed, and Tommy loosened up just enough to smile charmingly.

"I can't do this..." Jude said under her breath, turning and walking toward the door.

"We have an artist here who I'm sure you all know about... Her name is Jude Harrison..." Tommy said, and Jude froze as she heard her name, "She has been one of the most gifted artists G-major ever had, if not [ithe[/i most gifted... She's also one of the strongest..."

Tommy, whose eyes had been locked with Jude's since he began looked away as he went on, "And I know this party tonight was supposed to be about Rocksound, but I consider her to be part of this place... The life of it, really... I wouldn't have even gone to Georgia about starting this label with me had it not been for Jude... So I wanted to tell you a little about her that you may not have read about in the tabloids... She has been through more in the past three years than anyone I know... She's shown incredible maturity and drive in her work and self..."

Tommy was now staring into Jude's eyes again as his entire demeanor changed, now softer and more vulnerable, "She is truly an amazing person... She's changed the lives of everyone she's come into contact with, and any of them will tell you that... Mine being the most changed... I have worked with Jude for a little over three years now, and I have watched her grow... as an artist and as a person. I've seen her face a lot of things and come out with this amazing optimism and... And over these past three years, I have fallen completely and undeniably in love with her..."

Jude, whose eyes were overwhelmed by the tears she'd been fighting back, finally gave in to them, and Georgia smiled, nodding almost admiringly at Tommy.

Immediately after his confession, cameras flashed all around the room as the press went crazy.

"Jude, I'm sorry..." he spoke up after a moment, causing everyone to notice her standing in the back of the room, "I made a mistake... And I know I've made so many in the past few years... but Jude, I'll do anything it takes to make it up to you... I can't lose you... So I need you to give me just one more chance... Please..."

Jude wiped away tears that had soaked her face by this time, and nodded with a laugh. Tommy let out the breath he'd been holding unconsciously, looking down quickly and then back up at her with a huge smile.


	9. Just So You Know

**Chapter 9**

Tommy knocked on the door to the studio where Jude had motioned to discreetly moments before. It opened immediately, and without a word, she grabbed his arm, pulling him into the room and closed the door behind her.

"Tommy…" she began, dangerously close to Tommy, who was pinned with his back against the door, "I love you too…"

Jude, who had gotten closer and closer with each word at a painfully slow pace, was now staring into his eyes with want, love, disbelief, and excitement. He couldn't stop himself any longer, and he grabbed her by the arms, pushing his lips into hers. Jude felt her skin grow hot and her knees weaken a little as the kiss intensified. Noticing this, Tommy backed her up, careful not to break the kiss, and he

"So what were you going to do if that didn't work?" Jude smirked, as they walked out of the studio about fifteen minutes later.

"Of course it was going to work!" he replied a cocky way, giving her a 'yeah right' look, "I mean, look at who you're talking to here, Jude…"

Jude just looked at him with a raised eyebrow and after a moment, he broke.

"Okay, really? I was terrified… If that didn't work, I would've probably been forced to begging and Tom Quincy does not beg," he answered simply and grinned teasingly at her after a moment.

They walked out into the lobby to find it filled with people who were cleaning up, but none of the people going to the party so they walked out of the building and got into Tommy's viper.

"Hello, everyone, I'm not trying to dictate, don't worry… I'm off the clock for tonight. This party is for you all… For your wonderful work for G major in the past and your wonderful work you will do in the future at Rocksound…" Georgia stopped as Jude and Tommy walked through the doors and into the huge and gorgeous house, "And look who decided to show up! It's a good thing too cause then I would have had to repeat this…"

Everyone's eyes fell on the couple and they all laughed. Jude blushed at this, waving nervously.

"Hi guys!" she squeaked, letting out a small, nervous laugh, "Tommy…"

"Remind me to kill Georgia for this later…" he said into her ear.

"Uh huh..!" Jude

"Anyways, like I was saying," Georgia grinned teasingly at Tommy and Jude as she began, but soon her face faded from the mischievous smirk into what Georgia called her 'cheerful hostess look' as she continued, "I wanted to say something before SME starts breaking things, and we lose our couples to the pool and hot tub…"

Everyone laughed as the SME boys just shrugged sheepishly before joining in the laughter.

"I've been trying to get back into the swing of things here over the past few weeks because of the changes you have all gone through and certain… surprises that have been recently brought to my attention…"

The SME boys all smirked at Tommy and Jude, and Spiederman, who was the closest, nudged Jude who rolled her eyes coolly, unaware that she was beginning to blush again.

"Well, while doing so, I almost made a very big mistake… And I would just like to clear some things up, so Tom, Jude, I'm sorry… But you're going to have to deal with my decision about the two of you working together…" she said carefully, causing the couple to stiffen nervously, "And Tom, you're just gonna to have to suck it up and deal with it, cause you're stuck with her…"

Tommy and Jude both let out the breath they had been holding unconsciously. Jude squealed and through her arms around Tommy's neck.

Tommy looked at Georgia with a truly grateful look in his eyes, and mouthed 'Thank you' to her before Jude let go and spun back around to face her, wearing a huge smile. Georgia just nodded once in response before finishing her speech.

"Now what are you all waiting for? Go on, get to destroying my beautiful house!" she joked as some music started, the lights were dimmed, and people began to dance.

Watching them Jude was suddenly reminded of the last time she'd gone dancing.

"_Why_ did you do that??" a seventeen year old Jude shot at him, throwing her arms up in the air once they had stepped outside of the building into the parking lot. Well, he had stepped, she had been first pulled and then pushed out… Lightly of course, but pushed nonetheless.

Tommy's jaw was locked as he clenched his teeth, trying to calm his anger. He turned to Jude with burning eyes, taking in deep and slow breathes through his nose.

"What the hell did you expect me to do, Jude?" he asked with a shaky voice.

"You just drug me out like I was some sort of… child!" she screamed.

"And what about you?!" he matched the volume of her voice, finally giving in to his rage, "You probably didn't even know that guy's name!"

"Actually, I do… It's Caleb," she shot back.

Tommy closed his eyes and clenched his fists tightly, his knuckles turning white as he did.

"That wasn't my point…" he said through clenched teeth.

"Then what is?!" she asked loudly, "Huh, Tommy??"

He was silent for a moment, and Jude just let out a frustrated sigh before starting back toward the club's entrance, "I have to go apologize to Caleb…"

Tommy grabbed her arm as she was passing him, "I'm not letting you go back in there…"

"God, Quincy, you really are that dense, aren't you?!" she said as she ripped her arm from his grasp, "You can't make me do or not do _anything_!"

"I'm not going to sit around and watch you letting some random guy put his hands on you!"

"Then leave…" Jude said, her anger now joined by cockiness.

"Oh yeah, and leave you alone with that groping idiot? I don't think so, Jude…"

"Spied, Jamie, Patsy, and Sadie are here! I think I'll be okay! And besides, they were doing the **same thing**!!"

"I don't care about them!!" he yelled loudly, and Jude froze.

"…And you care about me?" she asked after what seemed like a very long moment of silence, her voice now soft and her words carefully chosen.

"You know I do, girl…" he said, nervously turning to walk away, wanting to avoid anything more being said.

"That's not what I mean, and you know it!" she hurried after him, grabbing his arm so that he involuntarily turned around, now standing only inches away from her.

"Jude… You can't ask me that…" Tommy said, trying to avoid her piercing, blue eyes.

"I am…" Jude said in a pleading, pain-filled voice, "Tommy, tell me now, and I won't ask again… Do you ever want something more with me… than what we have..?"

"…Every day…" he said quietly but with sincerity and certainty in his voice as he stared at the ground to Jude's right.

His eyes slowly found their way to Jude's, almost fearfully as he searched them for some clue to what she was thinking.

Finally, once the shock had worn off a little, Jude's eyes softened, and she inched even closer to him, "Tommy, I…"

"Okay, _that_ was fun!" Sadie laughed as they walked out of the building, "We should do this every-"

Tommy and Jude looked over to the others, who had stopped suddenly and then back at each other, suddenly noticing how close they really were. They pulled away, looking down nervously.

"I uh… needed to get some air…" Jude said quietly, "and um… Tommy didn't want me out here by myself…"

"Well, you know there _is_ air that's not coming from Tommy's mouth…" Patsy replied with a smirk, "Technically you were getting carbon dioxide…"

"No, I was just… cold…" Jude replied.

"Right…" Patsy responded with sarcasm dripping from her voice as she walked toward the two.

Sadie tried to follow Patsy toward Jude but stumbled into Jamie, who supported her cautiously.

"Uh… Pats?" Jamie spoke up.

"I provided her with her first drink tonight…" Patsy explained with a proud and mischievous grin, as they all looked over at Sadie leaning on Jamie.

"Thanks, Jamsie…" she smiled looking up at him with a smile.

"We're gonna drop Barbie off on our way home, you coming?" Patsy asked before glancing at Tommy and then back at Jude, "Or are you staying with T-bone, here?"

"I…" Jude glanced at Tommy, who was looking back at her, before turning back to Patsy, "I think I'm gonna hang here for a little bit longer…"

"Pat!" Jamie called nervously from behind her as Sadie began playing with his hair.

"Alright, well have fun you two…" Patsy said, ruffling Jude's hair and patting Tommy's cheek rather roughly before turning and helping Jamie take Sadie to their car.

Jude turned back to Tommy nervously, once the others had driven away. After a moment, Tommy grabbed her hand and began walking toward the club again.

"What are you doing?" she asked, with a confused look.

"Dancing with you, Harrison, what do you think?"

"Hey, Harrison…" she was shaken from her thoughts.

"Huh? Sorry, what?" she said as she looked up at Tommy who was standing infront of her.

"I asked if you wanted to dance with me," he repeated with a smile.

A wide smile spread over her face, which was all the answer Tommy needed. He took her hand in his and led her out onto the dance floor.


	10. Never Again

**Chapter 10**

After lots of dancing, talking, and SME's crazy antics, Spiederman stood up on a chair and began trying to get everyone's attention. After a moment, the room began to quiet, and everyone's eyes fell on him.

"Everyone gather around here!" he announced excitedly, "We've got an idea!"

"Oh, this is gonna be good..." Tommy whispered sarcastically into Jude's ear as he began to rise from the couch where he had previously been sitting with Jude in his lap.

Once everyone was comfortably sitting and standing around the three musicians, Spiederman cleared his throat.

"We're going to play a game..." he revealed.

"A game..?" Tommy interrupted, clearly uninterested.

"Not just any game... I Never," Spiederman added, motioning toward the mini bar behind him in a sort of ring-leader kind of way, which suit him all too well.

Tommy raised his eyebrows as if reconsidering.

"What now, Squinty??" Spiederman asked in a cocky way.

"I'm in," he answered simply with a nod.

"Sure, why not..." Jude added, and the group all looked to Georgia for her consent.

"...Okay," she sighed, "But that means everyone's staying here tonight... I will not have everyone driving around drunk, got it?"

Everyone nodded in agreement as Spiederman held up a bottle from the mini bar.

"Then bottom's up!" he exclaimed, setting the shot glasses up around the circle before taking a swig from the bottle as he and the other SME boys took their seats amoung the group, "Georgia... Since this party would not have been possible without you, would you do the honors?"

"Why not... I have never... dated a co-worker..." she smiled triumphantly as Spiederman, Kwest, Sadie, Tommy, Jude, and a few others took a shot.

"I have never.. wow... what _have_ I never?" Tommy started, causing everyone to laugh and Jude to hit him playfully, "Ow! Oops... I never... Hmm... I never... went to high school!"

Tommy smiled triumphantly as everyone but Wally groaned and took a shot.

"Wally? You never went to high school?" he asked as he saw that he didn't move.

"Nope!" he answered with a grin, "I've been home schooled since grade eight!"

There were a few others who made there accusations before it got around to Kwest who seemed very ready for his turn.

"I never wrote a love song about someone," Kwest said with a smirk.

"Hey, I _know_ that's not true!" Tommy cut in.

"...In the last year!"

Tommy rolled his eyes and he, Jude, Spied, and Kyle all took a shot.

"Wow, dude, you wrote a love song?! For who??" Spied laughed, and Tommy shot him a warning look, causing a sudden jolt of understanding to hit him, "Aaaah... Right!"

"Idiot," Kyle shook his head.

"My turn!" Sadie said excitedly, "I've never been in a band."

Almost everyone in the room eyed her as if to say 'You just wait...' before taking their shot as some began to look a little more relaxed than others.

"I've never had red hair!" Spiederman called out proudly.

Jude shot him a playful scowl before taking her shot.

"I've never... had the hots for a producer," Tommy said, giving Jude a playful smirk.

"I have never... been married!" Jude said after taking her shot, smiling sheepishly at Tommy, "Sorry..."

He gave her a look of mock-hurt before leaning close to her ear and whispering, "You're just trying to get me drunk..."

She grinned mischievously and also leaned into his ear, "Quincy, you have no idea..."

Tommy eyes widened and a small smile started to form on his face.

"Hey Romeo, wipe that goofy grin off your face! And take your shot!" Sadie laughed, breaking Tommy from his thoughts.

"Oh, right!" he said before he took his shot, noticing Spiederman had already taken his own.

A while passed, and many of the group had dropped out of the game to talk, flirt, and make-out, but SME, Tommy, Jude, Kwest, and Sadie still remained.

"I never... dated someone seven years older... or younger than me..." Kwest grinned, adding the younger part after seeing Tommy laugh at Jude.

"Why's everyone trying to get me?!" Tommy laughed.

"And me!!" Jude added.

"Cause you and Jude are easy targets!" Kwest chuckled.

"To us easy targets!" Jude said, holding up her drink as if toasting.

Tommy linked arms with her, returning his glass to his lips that he held with his linked arm as Jude did the same, and they both took their shots proudly.

After a few more turns, everyone was beginning to get pretty tipsy, especially Tommy, Jude, and Spiederman.

"I've never gone on vacation alone with someone of the opposite sex!" Spiederman said, his words slurring a bit as he spoke.

Jude, Tommy, and Sadie all took their shots.

"I never spent more than forty-five minutes getting ready in the morning," Tommy said, and both Harrison sisters downed their small shot glass.

"I never got married by mistake!" Jude laughed.

"I never dated Tommy!" Kwest said simply, and Jude took her shot, followed by Sadie after hitting Kwest playfully in the arm.

"I never dated my best friend's ex!" Sadie shot back at him with mischievous grin.

He nodded and took his punishment without protest.

Spiederman, who had been staring at the ground since Jude's shot at him, looked up at her when his turn came around.

"I never got drunken pictures taken of me in bed by some stranger I met at a bar..." Spied said, a little spitefully, and everyone went quiet.

Jude looked at him, hurt and confused, for a moment before picking up her shot glass.

"I'll drink to that..." she said in a quiet and bitter voice before downing the liquor.

"I never didn't know when I was making an ass of myself," Tommy shot protectively.

"Tommy..." Jude touched the hand he was leaning on, "He's drunk... He doesn't mean it..."

"Shut up, Jude, I know exactly what I'm saying!" Spiederman spat, "And I mean every word."

Again Jude went silent, staring at him now with a little anger shining from her eyes.

"...I never hurt my friends just because I was unhappy with my life."

"Let's go somewhere else for a bit..." Tommy said, helping her up.

"Well, I never offered sex to Tommy..." Spied shot viciously as he jumped to his feet, fighting to keep his balance, "_And_ been turned down!"

Tommy whipped around, and his fist crashed into Spied's jaw, knocking his to the ground.

A long moment passed as everyone took in what had just happened. Jude looked around to see everyone staring at her and Tommy, tears flooding her eyes.

"Tommy..." she said quietly in a shaky voice, looking up at him pleadingly, "Let's just go..."

Tommy took her hand in his and headed toward the door, but as they did, Georgia moved between them and the door to block their way. She knew if she didn't, nothing she said would stop him.

"Tom, you can't leave..." she said calmly, but her eyes were anything but calm as she stared at him as if begging him to listen for once.

Tommy opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off by Georgia.

"You promised..." she said in what was barely a whisper.

His face softened slightly at this; he'd never seen that look in her eyes before. He clenched his teeth and squeezed the hand that wasn't holding onto Jude's into a fist, breathing heavily.

"Fine... We'll stay," he managed to force out though his jaw never loosened once before pulling Jude passed Spiederman and into the hallway.

He then led her into one of the guest bedrooms and shut the door behind him, turning to her immediately and placing his hands on her shoulders.

"Are you okay?" he asked, touching her cheek with one hand.

"Yeah, I'm fine..." she replied with a forced smile, "A little embarrassed... but fine..."

"I should've known something about us would be brought up... I don't know why I even agreed to play..."

"You didn't do anything wrong..." Jude said, kissing him softly.

Tommy smiled, wrapping his arms around her waist and resting his forehead against hers.

"...Can I ask you something?" she asked after a minute, and Tommy just nodded, so she took a deep breath and continued, "...Why _did_ you turn me down?"

Her voice was shaky and barely over a whisper, and Tommy's eyes filled with pain.

"Jude, I..."


	11. Everything

**Chapter 11**

_Tommy smiled, wrapping his arms around her waist and resting his forehead against hers. _

_"...Can I ask you something?" she asked after a minute, and Tommy just nodded, so she took a deep breath and continued, "...Why did you turn me down?"  
Her voice was shaky and barely over a whisper, and Tommy's eyes filled with pain.  
"Jude, I..."_

He stepped back, taking in a deep breath and pushing his hand through his hair as he tried to gather his thoughts.

"Jude, I just… I couldn't…" he finally forced out, beginning to pace a small path in front of her, "It felt wrong…"

Jude's heart stopped when he said this, and her expression changed to fear and pain.

"No, I didn't mean it like that!" he quickly added, panic in his voice, "It felt great!"

Jude's expression calmed a little at this, and he was surprised to see that she was still listening to him.

"…Believe me…" he sighed, "Just remembering every day that I can touch you… kiss you… It's… amazing…"

"Then what happened, Tommy?" she whispered, not wanting to push, but not knowing was killing her, "Why didn't you want me..?"

"No, baby, I wanted you… _so_ much- you could not _imagine_ how much!" he replied, letting out a small, humorless laugh before pausing for a moment.

"This means too much to me, Jude- _You_ mean too much to me to screw this up…"

"How would _you_ screw it up?" she asked, becoming overwhelmed by the confusion that was being added to her already emotional state, "Tommy, do you love me? …Like _really_ love me?"

"You know I do! More than anything…" he answered genuinely.

"Then what? Do you think I won't be good enough??" she repeated, her question from that day which had gone unanswered, unaware of the rising volume of her voice.

"No, _I_ won't be!" Tommy whipped around, his voice even louder than Jude, who just stared with an even more confused expression.

Silence filled the room for what seemed like a lifetime, before Jude finally found her voice again.

"…What?" was all she could force out as Tommy looked down, silent for another moment.

Jude stepped forward and took his face in her hands, bending slightly so that her eyes met with his, "Tommy… This is me here… Talk to me…"

He brushed his hand across her cheek.

"I just… I want _so_ _much_ for you… I want you to have it all… everything… and," he took a deep breath, still not used to being so open with things, "And I'm terrified that I can't give you that…"

Jude's eyes were filled with tears, and she put her forehead against his.

"I just want _you_!" she said with a wide smile, in what was a mix between sobbing and laughing, "You _are_ everything to me!"

A look of relief and happiness washed over Tommy, and unable to hold it in, he pulled her into him, forcefully connecting his lips with hers.

She returned the kiss, feeling the same over-whelming passion and love as he was. After a moment, Tommy began to feel his control wearing thin as they slowly inched their way closer to the bed.

Once Jude felt the back of her legs touch the edge of the bed, she broke away from the kiss. She looked deeply into his hungry eyes for a moment before lowering herself onto the bed, pulling him down with her, and as soon as they felt the soft covers beneath them, they immediately reconnected their lips.

Tommy's hands eagerly moved over her body as she ran hers through his hair, and then moved them to the hem of his shirt.

Tommy pulled away from the kiss, looking down at her hands and then back up to her eyes with a concerned and almost nervous expression which melted Jude's heart immediately.

"Tommy, it's okay…" she whispered assuringly, "I know what I'm doing…"

"But are you _sure_ this is what you want?" he asked, breathlessly.

"I want you…" her voice was hushed, soft, and sensual which surprised even her when she answered.

Tommy's eyes fell to her lips and once again, she felt the amazing rush of their kiss, and she could feel herself getting lost in it.


	12. Can’t You See

**Chapter 13**

Sadie walked into the hallway and knocked lightly on the first two doors she came to before peaking in, and she hadn't found them. She was contemplating calling Jude's phone, but decided to try one more door, so she approached the third door, knocked lightly, and peaked in. Her eyes widened as they registered what she was actually seeing.

Tommy was lying shirtless under the covers with Jude sleeping soundly on his chest. Her own chest was against his body, but even from across the room, Sadie could see that she wasn't wearing any clothes, and she was more than sure that Tommy wasn't either. She just gawked, frozen in her current position, as Tommy ran his hands through her sister's hair while looking down adoringly at her.

Finally, after a moment, she regained her composure and turned quickly to rush from the room, but not before gently closing the cracked door behind her.

[Meanwhile in the kitchen

Kwest walked into the kitchen to find Georgia standing, lost in thought, with her back against the counter as she swirled her drink around in the glass.

"Well, Spied's made an idiot out of himself, everyone got drunk, someone was insulted to the point of tears, and Tommy knocked someone out… Just another one of the many great parties of G major!" he joked, trying to lighten the mood as he sat on the counter top next to where she stood.

Georgia let out a small laugh but continued to stare ahead.

"You okay?" he asked in concern, tilting his head to study her expression better.

"I'm worried about Tom and Jude…" she replied slowly.

"Georgia, those two will be fine… They're tough… both of 'em…" Kwest spoke certainly, "And Tommy would kill for that girl… He's going to do everything in his power to make and keep her happy…"

"But what about what happened in there tonight? What Spiederman said… As much as I don't want to even think about that part of their relationship, but in front of everyone… Poor girl…" Georgia shook her head slowly, "Why would he turn her down..?"

Even though the question was more to herself than to him, Kwest still offered up his thoughts.

"I think I know why… She's the first girl he's ever loved more than anything else… He loves her more than fame, music, money, and himself… And she's got that innocence… She's so mature, we sometimes forget she's still only eighteen… But Tommy's had to program himself to remembering that constantly… Reminding himself over and over again for years…" Kwest explained, "Sure he can be a jerk sometimes, but Tommy's a good guy… He would never push her, but I think he's scared that if they take that step, that she'll…"

"Regret it…" she finished as understanding struck her.

"He wouldn't be able to live with himself…" Kwest added, looking down at his hands, "He's loved her since she was fifteen, you know… I was the first to notice it and confront him… It was on her sixteenth birthday that I knew it for sure… When did you know?"

"I wasn't ever completely sure if he loved her or envied her… I knew she loved him early on, but I didn't know he felt something until one night when I had forgotten something back at the studio after I'd left, so I went back…" Georgia said before continuing into her story.

(3rd person)

Georgia walked through the doors into a nearly deserted G major and started toward her office when a small light coming form one of the studios caught her eye. Curious, Georgia decided to check it. She reached the door to studio C and looked in to find it empty.

"No, stop it!!" she heard Jude's voice yell from the hospitality room.

Georgia rushed over, afraid that something was wrong, but stopped suddenly and ducked out of sight.

Tommy was straddling Jude on the couch, tickling her mercilessly as she laughed, gulping and gasping for air.

"Tommy!" she chocked out between laughs, "Tommy, stop it!!"

"Not until you admit it!" he laughed back.

"Mmm! Fine!!" she said, finally giving in, "You're my **favorite **producer! You know that…"

Her last words were soft and genuine, and she stared into Tommy's eyes as she said it. Their faces were only inches apart, and Tommy slowly began to close the space between them. Georgia's eyes grew wide as she peaked through the crack between the door and its panel. The door creaked slightly as Georgia accidentally leaned in too closely causing Tommy's gaze to shoot up. When he saw nothing, he looked back down, realizing what had almost happened only moments before.

A flash of shock went across his face, and he quickly tired to play it off, leaning up to kiss her forehead.

"…See, girl," he forced out in a shaky voice, "…I knew you'd see it my way!"

He hesitated a moment before finally forcing himself to stand up.

"Come on, big eyes," he said softly, taking her hand and pulling her to her feet, "Let's get to work…"

Georgia finished her story with a smile, "I'd never seen that look in his eyes before… OF course now I've seen it plenty of times… Every time he looks at her… But that… That was when I first suspected it."

They were suddenly interrupted from their serious conversation as Sadie suddenly crashed into Kwest's arms.

"Oh my god! Kwest I- I walked in and there was… Them doing… stuff and…" Sadie blurted out, still in shock, "Oh my god, Kwest..!"

He looked over to Georgia, surprised by the frantic blonde's sudden presence in the room… not to mention in his arms.

"Sadie..? You okay?" he asked cautiously.

Sadie regained her composure quickly and looked up at him as if he had grown an extra head.

"No!" she answered as if it were obvious, "What part of what I said did you not get??"

"Um… All of it...?"

Sadie let out a long sigh, clearly frustrated.

"Baby, tell me… slowly..." Kwest asked, placing his hands on her shoulders, "What's wrong?"

She looked from him to Georgia and back again before deciding that she couldn't keep it to herself. It was too disturbing to her to even think about. So she told them, in detail, what she had just seen.


	13. 3 am

**Sorry, the last chapter was supposed to be chapter 12, and also, a small portion of this was supposed to be with that chapter, but it got left out. So… here it is! Sorry about the confusion yet again! Hah**

**Chapter 12 cont.**

"So I freaked and ran in here to you and here I am!" she finished, saying the last part extremely fast, trying hard to rid her mind of the thoughts running through it.

"Well, then maybe she won't be in such a bad mood after all!" Spied said from the doorway, trying to hold back his laughter.

Sadie's head whipped around; She hadn't known he was there, and he could tell she didn't quite see the humor in it as he did.

"If you tell Jude I told you-"

"Woah, never!" he said, holding his hands up in defense, "I'm already in trouble with one Harrison because of my stupid mouth, you think I want to anger another one?!"

"Okay… Okay, good…" Sadie replied before letting herself laugh at her behavior, "I should want to kill him… Why don't I want to kill him??"

"Because you know how much he loves her…" Georgia piped in, "You know how smart Jude is… And you trust her judgment…"

Sadie nodded after a moment and a sweet smile spread across her face, but quickly changed when tears filled her eyes.

"When did she get so old??" she asked, laughing at herself as a few stray tears fell down her cheek, "When did _I_ get so old?!"

They all laughed as Kwest pulled the blubbering blonde into his arms.

"Aw, Sadie… Baby, come here…" he chuckled.

**Chapter 13**

The next morning, Tommy awoke to the sound of Jude's intense and hypnotic voice. She was only humming, but even that was beautiful. He opened his eyes and looked up to see her sitting at the end of the bed. She had pulled her notebook out of her bag and was writing, erasing, and writing again, completely absorbed in the music playing in her head.

"What's it called?" he asked in a scratchy voice, sitting up to lean against the headboard.

Jude's head popped up at the sudden noise and her eyes brightened at the sight of him, but he could see the twinge of worry tugging at her.

"Hey," she aid warmly, and Tommy's gaze fell to the shirt she was wearing; it was his.

Her eyes followed his to the shirt, and she began to quickly explain.

"I can take it off! I just kinda… couldn't find mine when I woke up…" she said as she slowly began to blush, "I just… really needed to write…"

Tommy smiled lovingly at her nervousness as he moved toward her. He came to a rest behind her, and she closed her eyes at the sensation of his warm chest against her.

He touched her shoulder lightly and then let it slide down a little, pulling the sleeve down a bit, and he placed a short, soft kiss on the exposed skin. Then, looking up, he met eyes with her as she looked over her shoulder at him.

"I love seeing you in my clothes," he whispered huskily, "It reminds me that you're mine…"

His warm breath on her neck and the sound of his voice in her ear sent chills down Jude's body, and she closed her eyes, trying to hide the fact that he had such an effect on her.

"Jude…" Tommy whispered softly, breaking her from her thoughts.

"Hm?" she replied as she slowly opened her eyes again.

"I need to ask you something important… Tell me honestly…" he began with a serious and almost scared look, "Do you regret last night..?"

Jude's brilliant blue eyes softened, her expression almost mirroring his.

"Never…" she whispered breathlessly, and in a voice so quiet that it was barely audible, she returned the question, "Do you..?"

"…It was the best night of my life…" he answered with the most sincerity she'd ever seen in him.

Her eyes filled with tears, but she fought them back, taking his face in her hands.

"You've made me love you so much…" she replied softly, "So much…"

He leaned in and placed a gentle, lingering kiss on her lips, before pulling back and gazing adoringly, trying to take in every detail of her.

"What were you working on?" he asked after a moment as he ran his hand through her hair, "Sing for me…"

"It's not finished… But so far, I've got this much…" she replied, suddenly self-conscious about the song.

She placed the guitar in her lap, and took a deep breath to calm her nerves before she began to gently strum the guitar.

"No, I won't step back but

I'll look down to hide from your eyes  
'Cause what I feel is so sweet

And I'm scared that even my own breath  
Oh could burst it if it were a bubble  
And I'd better dream if I have to struggle

So I put my arms around you around you  
And I hope that I will do no wrong  
My eyes are on you they're on you  
And I hope that you won't hurt me…"

Her angelic voice faded, and Tommy slowly opened his eyes which had closed subconsciously as he lost himself in the music.

"You are incredible, girl…" he whispered with a small smile, "How I got you is beyond me…"

Jude smiled adoringly, setting the guitar down beside the bed, "Just lucky I guess!"

"Is that it?" he asked with a laugh, tossing her down playfully onto the bed.

"Yes!" she giggled as he held himself over her, resting his weight on his arms which were placed on each side of her.

"Oh, well then I guess I must be very lucky! 'Cause I get to have you all I want!" he chuckled as he leaned in to kiss the blonde lying beneath him.

"I guess so…" she replied just before their lips touched.


	14. My Girl

**Chapter 14**

**Flashback**

"_Let's do it! All of it!" Jude exclaimed breathlessly with a big, excited smile._

"_Really?! You mean it??" Jamie asked, his eyes had lit up, but his expression was that of shock and disbelief._

"_Yes… This is going to be big, Jamie, I can feel it… And I want to be part of that!"_

_He pulled her into a tight hug before pulling back, "I can't believe you chose this…"_

"_Jamie…Tommy has hurt me so many times… and I feel safe when I'm with you… It's… it's so… irrational! I mean, Asia?! I can't just run off to Asia!" Jude rambled, lost in all of her thoughts that were all flying around her head at the same time._

"_Wait, I'm confused…What about Tommy? …Asia? I meant that I couldn't believe that you chose us as your label…" Jamie said interrupting her senseless bantering._

_Jude's eyes widened as she mentally kicked herself._

"_He doesn't know about Tommy and Asia, stupid! Ugh! Stupid, stupid, stupid!" she thought to herself._

"_Did he… did he ask you to run away with him??"_

"_Jamie, I…" she trailed off, not sure what to say, and then it really hit her._

"_Had he? Had he really asked her to 'run away' with him?? I mean, sure it was a trip…and it was with him, but run away?" Jude began to feel a little light-headed at the thought, and her breathing was a little unsteady._

"…_He did, didn't he?" he asked, as more of a statement._

_Jude just nodded slowly, staring at the ground._

"_After all he's put you through? That guy is a piece of work!"_

"_Jamie!" she broke him from his rant, "I've forgiven him… For everything… But I-"_

_She was interrupted as her phone rang out loudly. She pulled it out and saw a picture of Sadie was flashing on the screen. As she flipped it open, she flashed Jamie an apologetic look, which he just nodded to._

"_Hey, Sadie, I'm kind of in the mid-" Jude began as she paced in front of the door._

"_Jude, Tommy came by here looking for you…" Sadie's interrupted in a frantic tone, this caused Jude to freeze mid-step, and she put her hand over her other ear._

"_Sadie, what's wrong?"_

"_It's Tommy! He asked to talk to you, and when I told him where you were he got really upset… I… I've never seen that look on… on anyone's face before… He couldn't even say anything, he just turned and walked to his car… He sped off so fast…" Sadie rambled, without ever even stopping to take a breath, "Jude, I'm scared he's going to hurt himself!"_

"_Okay…" Jude replied with a shaky voice as tears welled up in her eyes, "I'll find him…"_

_She hung up without even waiting for a response, turning back to Jamie. She looked as if she were only seconds from a breakdown. _

"_Let me guess… Tommy trouble?" Jamie scoffed._

"_Jamie, I'm sorry… I have to go find him, Sadie said he drove off really fast… and he was really upset and… I just… I have to go!" she turned to leave, but felt Jamie's hand grab on to her arm._

"_I'll drive. You're in no condition to drive yourself…"_

_She smiled gratefully, "Thank you…"_

_He grinned, "Let's go…"_

_They started driving and went from Jude's house toward the direction Tommy had gone._

"_If anything happens to him…" she began as her eyes searched frantically for any kind of sign that he'd passed there, but her tears were blurring her vision. Jamie went to take her hand, but it shot up before he could._

"_There!" she exclaimed, pointing ahead to the viper that had been pulled over to the side of the road._

_Jamie quickly pulled over, and Jude immediately jumped out, running to the car. Tommy, who had been sitting in the car trying to clear his head, stepped out just in time for Jude to throw her arms around his neck._

"_Sadie called me, and she was worried! I was so scared that something had happened to you!" Jude exclaimed, almost sobbing._

_Jamie looked away from the affection the two were showing each other, not wanting to see it any longer than he already had._

"_I'm okay, Jude…" he said as he pulled away, causing her to look at him in confusion._

_As if answering a silent question, Tommy looked over at Jamie as Jude's eyes followed._

"_I've got to go… I have a flight to catch…" he said, giving her a sad yet gentle and loving look, touching her cheek and letting his hand slide off, "Goodbye, Jude…"_

_He turned to get back into his car, tears shining in his eyes, but he stopped as he felt Jude's hand grab his._

"_Wait…" Jude said in a desperate whisper before she could stop herself._

_Tommy closed his eyes at the feeling of her touch, frozen for a moment before turning back to look at her._

"_I…" Jude's voice broke as she was unable to find the words she wanted to say, or any for that matter._

_They were both broken from the moment they were sharing by the sound of a car door closing._

"_Jamie-?" she started to ask in confusion as she reached the driver's side window._

"_Jude, this isn't what you want…" Jamie cut her off, "You know that…"_

_Jude looked down, not really knowing what to say. Jamie's eyes softened in both love and pain as he tried to force the words out._

"_Are you in love with him..?" he asked, and Jude's head shot up._

_She was silent for a moment before looking over at Tommy and then slowly back to Jamie, looking almost shocked by her own answer, "…Yes."_

"_Then what are you doing?" he asked, tears in his eyes._

_She looked at Tommy again, then back to Jamie with a look of further realization and gratitude._

"_Jamie, I…" she started, but again was cut off. _

"_Hey… We tried…" he shrugged attempting to look indifferent, but Jude could tell it wasn't real._

"_Thank you…" she whispered with sincerity in her voice._

_And with a nod, he backed up and drove away._

_Jude turned slowly to see Tommy leaned against the viper with his hands in his pockets. He looked down and then back up at her as she made her way over to him._

"_So… Ball's in your court, Harrison…" he spoke up after a second, trying to hide the nervousness in his voice, "What do you want to do?"_

_Jude inched closer to him painfully slowly, staring at the ground. She looked up into his eyes once she was close enough to feel his breath on her. Tommy started to say something, but she pushed her lips up against his, wrapping her arms around his neck. His hands pressed against her back, pulling her closer to him, if it were possible. They pulled apart only slightly after a few moments, putting their foreheads together._

"_I almost made the stupidest mistake of my life…" Jude whispered apologetically._

"_Are you sure this is what you want?" Tommy asked cautiously._

"_Tommy, do you really have to ask?" she asked before letting a small grin cross her face._

_Tommy's eyes lit up and a wide smile spread across his face as he lifted her up and spun her around. He set her back onto her feet after about two or three spins, both laughing happily. He put his hand on the side of her neck, his thumb grazing her cheek. _

"_I love you…" he said quietly, looking deeply into her eyes._

_Jude's heart fluttered as he said those words again. She had wanted this for so long, and it was finally happening… really happening. She felt like she had just drunk three cups of coffee and if she built up anymore energy, she would explode._

"_I love you too, Quincy…" she replied sincerely._

_His eyes lit up, and he leaned in, kissing her deeply._

"Jude..?" she heard a familiar voice speak, breaking her out of her daydream.

"What??" she asked, jumping slightly.

"What were you thinking about?" Tommy asked, walking up behind her and wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Why do you ask?"

"Just wondering… You had this really far off look in your eyes…" Tommy replied, resting his chin on her shoulder.

"I was thinking about the day we left for Asia…" she answered quietly, fiddling with his hands.

She craned her neck to look over at him shyly after a moment and saw a soft smile on his face.

"I almost lost you that day…" she added even more softly.

"No…" he replied, staring deeply into her piercing, bright blue eyes, "You never would have lost me… It just would've taken us a little longer…"

She smiled sweetly, and he brought her hand that was intertwined with his up to his mouth, placing a soft, lingering kiss on it.

"Come on…" he said softly with a grin as he nodded his head toward the door, "Let's go get some breakfast… I know you're hungry…"

Her jaw dropped and faking a hurt look, she replied, "And what is _that_ supposed to mean??"

"Oh, nothing, babe…" he said unconvincingly as he began to lead her to the door, "Just that if you keep eating the way you do, before long your eyes might not be the only things about you that are big…"

"Hey! You better be nice to me, Tommy Quincy, or I might not be _so eager to please_ _next time_…" she replied seductively with a wicked smirk, stressing the last few words to make her point.

A wide smile spread across Tommy's face, and he stopped her suddenly right as she turned the doorknob, opening the door slightly. He pulled her back to him, causing her hand that was gripping the knob to pull the door shut again.

"Wonder what's going on in there…" Spied said teasingly to Kwest as they walked passed the couple's room, heading toward the kitchen for breakfast.

"What are you doing?" Jude laughed, her body now pressed tightly against Tommy's chest as his strong arms wrapped around her petite frame.

"Change of plans… Why don't we just stay in bed instead…" he said in a low, seductive voice.

"But I really am hungry!" she laughed.

"Well, I plan on having my breakfast in bed…" he replied as he began to suck lightly on the sensitive areas of her neck.

Jude's eyes closed unconsciously, and she lets out a small moan, but before she can get too lost in the sensation, she decided to tease him a little for a change.

"Later…" she whispered seductively before turning and walking out of the room, and a mischievous grin spread across his face as he hurried after her.

"Not so fast, Harrison…"


	15. The Great Escape

**Chapter 16**

Jude hurried into the room followed by Tommy who grabbed her around the waist, while both laughed happily, but they quickly went silent as they noticed everyone's eyes on them.

"What?" Jude asked, hugging her jacket tightly around her, remembering that she was wearing nothing under it seeing as how they still couldn't find her shirt.

"Nothing!" Georgia said, hurrying into the room with Sadie behind her.

"You two! Sit! We made pancakes!" Sadie said in a sing-song voice, as she and Georgia set the pancakes, syrup and butter onto the table.

Jude let out a laugh at her sister's enthusiasm as she retreated to her seat, followed by Tommy whose hand was resting affectionately on her back.

"So," Georgia began after she and Sadie had joined the others at the table, "Did everyone sleep well?"

"No!" Wally answered quickly, "I woke up on a pool table!"

"That's cause you couldn't figure out which room was yours and tried to crawl into bed with me!" Kyle replied, "So I sent you as far away as I could!"

Everyone burst into laughter, and Wally gave them all a sheepish grin, and it was obvious that he had no memory of that at all.

"Well!" Jude added, speaking to Wally more than anyone else, "Those of us who actually slept on a bed had a great night!"

The blonde froze as soon as the words left her mouth, and her cheeks immediately began to show only enough red to be seen by those who were looking for it.

Tommy was trying his best to stifle a laugh before leaning into her so closely that she could feel his breath on her neck.

"Only you could say something like that in this situation," Tommy whispered with a smirk, "…But you definitely wouldn't be wrong…"

As soon as he said that, a giggle escaped Jude's mouth, and her hands shot up to her mouth, the same stunned look on her face as everyone else's around her.

"Did you just… giggle?" Sadie asked, unable to hide the amusement in her voice, as she fought to keep a straight face.

Tommy, however, burst into laughter without even trying to fight it. Jude quickly elbowed him in the arm playfully, but after the embarrassment lessened a little, she too had to laugh at herself.

"What's with you two? Why are you so happy?" Wally asked after a moment, looking from Tommy to Jude curiously after the couple had locked eyes and given each other a small, chaste kiss.

The two froze, but only Jude's panic showed on her face. She opened her mouth to say something with no idea what it would be, but luckily at that same moment, Spied rushed into the room almost as if he was helping her.

"Isn't it a beautiful morning?!" Spied declared as he put his weight on the two hands that were resting on the end of the table.

"Very!" Tommy spoke up, taking the opportunity to escape, "In fact, I think I'd like to go take a walk before we have to go into work… Jude?"

He offered her his hand, and she quickly took it without a word.

"Well, thanks for letting us sleep here last night, Georgia," Tommy said with a small wave, pausing in the nearby doorway, and with a devilish grin, he added, "I _really_ appreciate it!"

Sadie's eyes went wide when he said this. And from outside of the house, Jude burst into laughter, which the table could hear very clearly and soon were all joining her as they heard the "Woah!" of Tommy being yanked out of the doorway to join her outside.

"Wait, they don't…" Georgia began a moment after the laughter had faded and a smirk crept onto her face, "Those sneaky little-"

"Let me guess," Kwest cut in as he too reached the same realization, "they don't go in for a while, do they?"

"Nope!" Georgia replied with a laugh.

They arrived after only about fifteen minutes and quickly rushed to the door.

"You have got to be the worst liar I've ever met!" Tommy laughed as Jude stumbled into his house

"That was _so _close!" she managed to exclaim through fits of laughter.

Tommy turned to the petite blonde, wrapping his arms around her waist, and her breath caught in her throat.

"Well, we're alone now…" he said in a low, scratchy whisper as he began to gently kiss her along her neck and collarbone.

Jude's eyes closed involuntarily, and she felt her knees weaken beneath her.

"We have all day to ourselves…" he whispered, removing his lips from her neck.

She flashed him a mischievous smile before pressing her lips roughly against his. Caught off guard, Tommy leaned back into the half-opened door, pushing it against the wall and completely opening it. As his back pressed against the door, he felt her legs wrapped themselves around his waist.

After a moment, the shock of Jude's sudden forwardness faded. After regaining his balance again, Tommy maneuvered his leg around to kick the door closed and walked her over to the couch.

They both collapsed onto the soft cushions, and Jude instantly began removing Tommy's clothes until he was down to his boxers, but as he reached over him to unfasten the buttons of her jacket, he stopped.

"Wait… We should… We should probably use a…"

"A what?" she asked but immediately sat up so that she was straddling him as soon as the words registered in her head, "Oh… Right!"

"Wait…" she said, still unable to rid herself of the ridiculous smile that kept creeping onto her face, "Wait here just a minute…"

And with that, she hopped off of her confused-looking producer and ran into his bathroom.

Once inside, she looked into the mirror and fluffed her wavy hair, then she took out the package of mints she had grabbed subtly from her bag, that was luckily lying right beside the entrance to the hallway, as she passed it. After popping a few of the strong mints into her mouth, she left the bathroom and walked into his room.

She crossed to his bedside table where she pulled open the second drawer and took out a small box before returning to the couch.

"I believe you were looking for these?" she commented with a smirk, throwing the box to him before returning to her previous position.

"Wait, how in the hell did you know where these were??" he asked with a laugh.

"I've been in your apartment twice before, Quincy…" she replied as if that explained it perfectly, but continued when she received a questioning look from the man below her, "I'm a girl, we snoop! It's like our way…"

"Uh huh… Well, Sherlock, see if I let you anywhere near my room again!" he replied with a smirk.

Jude gave him a skeptical look, "This is probably going to be the only place we can do this, you do realize that, right?"

Tommy's smirk fell immediately as realization hit him, "Good point… Is it still too late to change my answer?"

"I knew you'd see it my way…" she whispered in a flirty tone.

"You know me too well, Harrison…" he replied with a smirk before undoing her jack and tossing it across the room.

He did the same with her jeans as the jacket and then immediately connected his lips with hers softly at first but deepening the kiss as their hearts began to race.

Their moment was cut short, however as they heard a knock on the door. Both heads shot up in sync and panic flashed across Jude's face.

"Who is it?" Tommy called, trying to remain calm, but Jude's expression was making him nervous.

"It's Kwest," his best friend called through the door, and Tommy's face fell in aggravation.

"Can it wait, man?" Tommy replied, pulling his jeans on and yanking the door open just enough to expose him and none of Jude, which he made sure of.

"Well, I just thought you might want this…" he replied with a smirk, holding up none other than Jude's mysterious, disappearing shirt.

"My shirt! Where'd you find it-!" Jude began but clasped her hand over her mouth as soon as she realized what she was doing.

Tommy looked down sheepishly. He knew Kwest wasn't stupid, but it still felt like Tommy had just gotten caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

"Hi, Jude!" Kwest called, now smiling from ear to ear, "Interesting thing actually, it was hanging off the headboard!"

The now blushing blonde, once again clothed in her jacket and jeans, appeared in the doorway and took the shirt from Kwest with a small smile.

"Thanks…" she replied shortly, avoiding his eyes.

"No problem, red…" he grinned, and Jude gave him a questioning look, "Oh, I can officially call you that again…"

When Jude's expression didn't change, he added, "Your cheeks, red…"

And with a grin and a wave, Kwest left the couple, whistling 'Time to Be Your 21' as he disappeared around the corner to his car.


	16. All We Are

**Chapter 16**

A few hours later, the two were lying contently on his bed, wrapped up in each other's arms.

"So… What do you want to do for the remainder of our afternoon?" Tommy asked as he ran his fingers through her hair.

"Actually… I'm kinda-"

"Hungry?"

"Yes!" the blonde nodded vigorously, and Tommy let out a small laugh.

"Well, let's see if we can't fix that…" he replied enthusiastically as he slowly rose from the comfortable position he'd been in for the last half-hour to slip into his jeans.

Jude forced herself to rise and, after realizing that she had left her clothes in the living room, she grabbed his shirt and once again slipped it quickly over her head.

Tommy looked back at her, unable to hide the smile that crept onto his face, and crossed to the blonde.

She felt his arms wrap themselves gently around her waist, and she instinctively leaned back against him. After placing a soft kiss on her cheek, they both looked up as a familiar tune began to play over the radio that had been playing softly.

Jude turned around in his arms to look at Tommy with a soft smile. He kissed her softly before releasing her for a moment to turn the radio up as 'White Lines' filled the room.

Crossing back to her, Tommy held his hand out in front of her.

She took it, flashing him a questioning look.

"What are you up to, Quincy?" she asked with a grin.

"Dance with me…" he replied softly with a deep look in his eyes.

That song held so much meaning for both of them that were just as strong as the day she first sang it to him.

Jude's eyes softened, and she allowed him to pull her into his arms, looking up adoringly into his eyes.

They let themselves get lost in the music as their bodies moved, completely in sync with each other. Tommy kissed her lips twice, then her cheek, and finally, her neck in a one quick, fluid motion, and Jude let her hand that was lying limply around his neck slide up through his hair, resting on the back of his head as she clung to him as closely as she could. After a moment, his grip tightened around her, and he nestled his face in her hair, taking in her intoxicating scent.

"I have fallen so in love with you…" he whispered softly into her ear, lost in the moment.

Jude pulled away only enough to force his eyes to connect with her deep stare.

"You're my masterpiece…" she whispered emotionally, referring to one of the first conversations they had about music.

Tommy's eyes softened even more, as his hand touched her cheek gently.

The reference was not lost to him, and the memory of that moment rushed to his mind.

"_You wanna get it right? Or you wanna get it right now?" Tommy asked, getting irritated by Jude's resistance to him._

"_That's funny," Jude replied in just a slightly less irritated tone._

"_Do you do everything in such a hurry?" he asked sarcastically._

"_Just my music. I'm on a timeline. Kurt Cobain made "Nevermind" when he was twenty-three. I'm fifteen. That leaves me only eight years to create my masterpiece…"_

"_I guess that leaves me just a year then," he replied with a soft laugh._

_Finally loosening up and letting his attitude go for a moment, he crossed to over to the red-haired songstress, taking a seat beside her._

"_Right now, your job is to get ready to kill at the Vinyl Palace… Look, the chords you want, they're in the guitar. They're hiding… They wanna come out, but you keep scaring them back in," he explained, and then wrapping his arm around her shoulder, he began to slowly show her on the guitar what he was trying to say, "You wanna coax them out… gently…"_

_Their eyes met, but Tommy looked down quickly, panic setting over him. He hadn't anticipated the affect that just one touch would have on him. It was a strong electricity shooting through him like he had never felt before. So like everything else he didn't like or understand or want to deal with, he pushed it away into the back of his mind, trying his hardest to ignore the fact that his skin was growing warmer by the second._

He smiled at the memory before leaning in and kissing her passionately.

As they pulled away from the kiss a few moments later, he leaned his forehead against hers.

"You don't know what you do to me, girl…" he whispered in a low, shaky, and completely sincere voice, "You have no idea…"

**Sorry that it's short, I meant for it to be longer, but I couldn't make myself end the chapter any differently! Hah Hope you still enjoyed it! And I'm loving all the reviews! Keep 'em coming! ;)**


	17. A Little Help From My Friends

Chapter 17  
With a Little Help From My Friends

* * *

"Jude, hold on a sec!" Spiederman called, trying to catch up to the distressed blonde walking down the hall.

"Hey, there's my lead guitar guy!" she smiled, "I gotta talk business with you... But you go first..."

He looked down timidly at his hands for a moment before reconnecting their eye contact.  
"I just... I wanted to tell you how completely sorry I am... I'm a stupid jerk, and I don't deserve your forgiveness, but..."

"You're right, you don't..." she replied, but let a small smile spread across her face when his face fell in fear, "But I'm giving it to you anyway..."

"So does this mean you two are a pair again?" Kyle asked as he and Wally peaked out from behind the corner.

"Yes!" Jude and Spied both laughed lightly, answering in unison.

"Good!" Wally replied as he and Kyle approached the two musicians, "Cause the last thing we need is family fueding!"

"Especially when we have to get used to working under Lord Squinty frown!" Spied added.

"Especially since you've royally pissed off the great Lord!" Kyle added, shoving Spied lightly as they exited the school causing him to bump into one of the jocks that were also exiting the school.

"Whatch your step!" the cocky athlete shot at him.

"Dude, chill... It was an accident..." Spied replied calmly.

"'Dude?' Makes since that his name is Speed," the jock smirked, putting his fingers to his mouth as if he were smoking, and the others all laughed and pushed passed the group.

"Assholes..." Jude remarked under her breath.

"You're really gonna think that when you see your guitar!" the same jock called back with a smirk as he turned to her, walking backwards.

Jude's eyes widened, and she immediately let the guitar case fall gently to her side. She flipped the latches and opened the lid to reveal her guitar resting inside, now with all of her strings cut in half.

"Ugh, I hate high schoolers!" Jude exclaimed.

"Wouldn't you be including yourself in that category?" she heard a familiar voice say from behind, "Self hate is not a pretty thing, Harrison..."

She turned, along with all the girls ahead of her, to see none other than Tommy Quincy, approaching in his usual swagger before stopping to lean against the outer wall of the building with his arms crossed over his chest.

"I think that's our que!" Spied whispered fearfully to the others who agreed and followed him toward the parking lot, taunting him all the way.

"So what? Are you gonna fix me, Quincy?" Jude replied in a flirty tone as she slowly made her way over to him, "Cause I mean, aren't you like the king of brooding angstiness?"

"Ow!" he laughed, removing the tinted sunglasses from his face and wrapping his arms around her waist, "Who's put you in such a cut-throat mood?"

The female on-lookers scoffed jealously, flipped their hair, and turned to whisper things about the songstress which she would bet probably weren't the most befitting.

"The apes that call themselves athletes and rejected Barbies 1, 2, and 3..." Jude replied, nodding over her shoulder toward the group behind her, "Two o'clock... They cut my guitar strings while I was out of the room…"

Tommy's eyes, following Jude's directions, fell onto the stereotypical group of snobby high schoolers, and his over-protectiveness kicked in.

"I'll be right back..." he said in the low voice that Jude knew oh-too-well.

"Oh no you don't!" Jude replied grabbing his arm as he began to walk passed her, "Woah there, slugger, it's okay! They're jerks... Always have been, always will... No big deal, alright?"

"I could definitely make it harder for them though," he replied, pulling away from her again, but this time, she didn't grab him in time and the next thing she knew he was only a few feet from the group and still nearing.

"Oh god..." she rolled her eyes and raised her hands to cover her face, but after a moment, she couldn't stop herself and quickly followed to where Tommy had walked.

"Hi," Tommy said to the four jocks in front of him and then turned to the 'Barbie rejects' as Jude had called them with a flirty smirk on his face, "Ladies..."

They all grinned flirtilly, trying unsuccessfully to hide the fact that they all wanted to scream and jump up and down.

"You all know Jude, right?" he asked, and everyone nodded eagerly as if it were completely normal for them to be associated, "Well, just so you know, while you're dancing on a pole for spare change and working as the local burger boy for minimum wage at most, she's going to be making millions... And even now, people adore her, people have posters of her on their walls, and stand in line for hours just to get tickets for one of her concerts... But hey, you guys run, what? This school? Wow... I'm impressed..."

Tommy nodded a fake smile to the group before taking a stunned Jude by the hand. He started to walk away but stopped as he felt one of the jock's grab his arm.

"You really are as stupid as the tabloids makes you out to be, aren't you?" the overly confident football player said, stepping in front of Tommy.

Jude felt his hand tighten protectively around her small hand as the guy did this, and she placed her free hand lightly on Tommy's arm.

"You really think you can just walk up here like you're something big, say whatever you want, and not get the shit beat out of you for it?"

Tommy let out a humorless laugh before his eyes met with the other guy's in a dangerous glare.

"What are you... 17?? Mess with someone who's not got eight years on you..." he replied with another humorless laugh and then stepping passed the jock, began to walk away again with Jude's hand still in his.

"No," the jock called behind them, "I'm 18... Seven years younger than you, wasn't it? You know... just like the girl you're screwing..."

Tommy froze in mid-stride along with Jude. She felt his arm tense up under her hand, but before she could stop him, he wiped around and started toward the jock.

"I'm surprised you can do the math!" he shot back just before his fist came into contact with his stomach.

The jock doubled over in pain as the crowd that had gathered to watch all burst into laughter.

"Come on, let's just go..." Jude said as she reached him and began to pull on his arm.

He finally gave up the struggle and allowed her to pull him away to his viper that was luckily parked nearby.

They drove toward the studio in silence, each taking in what had just happened.

"No one's ever done anything like that for me before..." Jude finally spoke up, "Not that I'm promoting it! But... it was _sweet_..."

"I know, and I'm sorry... I lost my tempor..." he sighed in response, "But that guy deserved it!"

"Oh definitely!" she replied, "I don't care what happens to him... I just don't want you getting yourself into trouble over me..."

"Jude, I would do anything for you..."

"I know, and the same goes for me... You know I would..." she replied softly, "I love you..."

"I love you too, girl..." Tommy said softly as he took her hand.

A moment of comfortable silence passed as they continued toward G major before anyone spoke.

"But the look on his face _was_ priceless!" Jude admitted with a laugh, and Tommy broke into a grin, "He looked like he was about to faint!"

"It was pretty funny," he laughed back as they entered the doors of G major hand-in-hand.

"I need to see you two in my office..." Georgia said in a quiet and sad voice.

* * *


	18. Misery Business

**Chapter 18  
Misery Business**

* * *

"Me?! What do you mean me??" Jude laughed, "You were the one who suggested having a quick lunch at your place!" 

"What's your point?" he asked, fighting to keep a straight face.

"It's just as much your fault we're late as it is mine!" she shot back, and they both began to laugh as they entered the doors of G major.

The laughter was quickly silenced as they saw Georgia standing not too far ahead of them with her arms crossed over her chest.

"I need to see you two in my office…"

"Wait, Georgia, I'm sorry we're late! It's just that we went to get lunch at Tommy's, and we lost track of time, and of course traffic was horrible, and to top it all off, it took us ten minutes to leave cause I couldn't find my br-" Jude blurted out, but froze as she realized what she was about to say.

Georgia flashed her a questioning look and raised her eyebrows curiously at the couple.

"Nothing."

"Uh huh…" Georgia replied suspiciously.

"We'll meet you in your office!" Tommy smiled nervously, ushering the blushing blonde quickly into the office followed by Georgia who just shook her head in amusement.

"They look so happy…" Sadie said sadly from her desk, leaning back against the man standing behind her.

"I know…" Kwest replied softly, stroking her arms soothingly.

"I hate this…" she continued after a moment, "Why can't people just accept it and move on??"

"Baby, you know why…" Kwest turned her to face him, taking her chin in his hand, "For one, they're pigs… They jump onto any kind of scandal they can find… And the age difference does make them an easy target… We all knew this wasn't going to be easy for them…"

"I just hope Jude'll be okay…" Sadie replied sympathetically, "He means so much to her… And the things they said… It'll kill her…"

"Hey…" he cooed softly with a slight smile, "Who is the strongest person you know?"

"Jude…" she sighed.

"And who is the best at smooth-talking people?" he continued with his point.

"Tommy..?"

"Uh-huh, and who are the most stubborn people you know?"

"Besides you?" she joked.

"Very funny…" Kwest replied with a smirk.

"Tommy and Jude…" Sadie sighed, "I know…"

"They are _not_ going to let this bring them down, Sades…" Kwest concluded with a small laugh, "They are going to come out looking professional and with every shred of their dignity and composure… And they're going to be fine…"

Sadie stared into her boyfriend's eyes sweetly, "You're pretty great, you know that?"

"Finally she gets it!" he joked, earning him a playful shove from Sadie.

"Oh my god…" Jude said from her seat in front of the desk, suddenly feeling very overwhelmed.

She was leaned over with her elbows rested atop her knees for support, holding her dizzy head in her left hand and in her right, she clutched one of the many magazines scattered in front of her and Tommy. All of which shared one common theme: them.

When Georgia had first laid them down in front of her, Jude had been curious, but as she read the covers, each one more horrifying and hurtful as the next, her curiosity quickly turned to anger. But it wasn't until she reached the very last magazine in the stack that panic took over. There, on the cover, was a picture taken from the day before of Tommy leaned against the open doorway of his apartment with Jude propped up, her legs wrapped around his waist while their lips were connected in a passionate kiss. The photo left no room to doubt what was soon to happen between the two and neither did the article.

"Oh my god…" Jude repeated, this time with more panic, and Tommy quickly crossed behind to look over her shoulder.

"What?" he asked before his eyes finally focused on what was before them.

He turned away, pushing his hand through his hair, and then whipped back around.

"Perfect! Just perfect!" he replied, letting out a humorless laugh, before his eyes fell on Jude, who was clearly upset.

"Jude…" he added, now in a soft and caring voice, taking her hands and pulling her to her feet before engulfing her in a tight embrace, "Baby, it's okay…"

Tommy's eyes met with Georgia's as he did this, and he quickly looked away. He knew that Georgia wasn't the type to judge, and that this kind of thing was expected of him, but felt ashamed for putting Jude through this.

"Baby, I am so sorry…" he whispered sincerely into her ear, running a hand over her hair.

"No, Tommy… this isn't your fault…" she replied, pulling away just enough so that she could look into his eyes, "I just… People… I don't want people to think I'm like this…"

She tossed the magazine back onto Georgia's desk after she spoke, a look of disgust on her face.

"Your fans are going to stick behind you, Jude…" Tommy said sincerely.

"Also…" Georgia spoke up carefully, "I may have an idea that will help…"

Jude and Tommy both looked over at the brunette sitting behind the desk in curiosity.

"Well, I was planning on talking to you about doing this before, and after your little… incident, I think it'll actually make things a little better for you, Jude…" Georgia began, and receiving only nods from the couple, she continued to explain, "How do you feel about recording a new love song and shooting a video for it… with Tom as your leading guy?"

A look of shock quickly crossed Tommy's face at the idea, and he immediately turned to Jude as she also turned to him with a look that reminded him of a child asking permission from a parent.

"I'm in if you are, girl," Tommy laughed, and Jude let out a small, excited squeal.

"We'll do it!" she replied, turning back to Georgia with a wide smile.

"Excellent!" Georgia said, returning her enthusiastic smile, "The song will be all on you two as usual… So, as soon as you're ready…"

"Oh, no problem! I've actually already got some ideas!" Jude replied proudly, thinking about the song she'd started the night of Georgia's party.

"Well then, I just have to make some calls, and we're set!" Georgia said, rising from her seat behind the desk.

"Come on, big eyes," Tommy grinned, taking her hands and lifting her to her feet, "We got a lot of work to finish up before eight o'clock…"

"What happens at eight?" the blonde asked with a raised eyebrow.

"That, Miss Harrison, is a surprise," Tommy replied as he nudged her through the door, flashing Georgia a quick grin before following her out of the office and toward studio C.

* * *

Author's Note: The next chapter is going to start to look into some other characters' lives. Also, some other story lines are going to be introduced and continue in the upcoming chapters, but don't worry, there will still be plenty of Jommy! lol 

Oh, and I love the reviews! Keep them coming:)


	19. Our Song

Chapter 19

"Our Song"

"So, what do you want to say?" Tommy asked as he reached over to the guitar near his chair, "Put it to music…"

Jude thought for a moment, resting her head against her head.

"I want to tell everyone what you mean to me… but without really talking about you, cause nearly all my songs have been _about_ you…" she replied, looking up at him, "More like what _we _mean to me… Why this is so special…"

"Okay… Well, how would you define 'us'?"

The blonde looked at her producer thoughtfully for a moment before breaking their gaze to focus on her hands that twisted themselves nervously, her fingers intertwining around each other.

"Well, you're my best friend… My inspiration… My first love…" she began timidly but paused as her eyes slowly made their way back up to his, almost shyly, "You're my soulmate…"

Tommy's eyes softened, and his voice was gentle and warm when he spoke, "Perfect… Let's go with that…"

"Which part?"

"Soulmate… And you said first love, so why don't you explain what the others before me were like…"

"I like that…" Jude nodded, taking her pen in her hand to scribble a couple of lines down.

She hummed a soft tone, and before she could even speak, Tommy had picked up on the melody and chord combination she was hearing in her mind.

Her head popped up as the rhythm filled her ears, and she smiled widely which, like always, caused Tommy to do the same.

"_Incompatible… It don't matter though _

_Cause someone's bound to hear my cries._

_Speak out if you do,_

_Cause you're not easy to find…_

_Is it possible Mr. Lovable_

_Is already in my life?_

_Right in front of me_

_Or maybe you're in disguise…"_

"Beautiful," Tommy said softly, as a smile spread onto both of their faces.

"And the chorus?" Jude said with a questioning look.

He thought for a moment before continuing into the chorus on the guitar. Jude closed her eyes, losing herself in the steady beat of the beautiful music he was playing for her.

"_Who doesn't long for someone to hold?_

_Who knows how to love you without being told…"_

"Spiedy bear!" Karma exclaimed energetically, turning away from Sadie and Kwest, as he approached her in the lobby.

"Karma, hey… Can we talk?"

She nodded as he slowly pulled her away from the couple she'd been talking to. The two entered a nearby studio that was empty, and he motioned her to the couch that sat in the corner of the room. As she took the seat he'd offered, Spied began to pace slowly, lost in his own thoughts.

"Honey… You're making me nervous…" she spoke up after a moment, drawing him back to reality.

He looked at her sadly for a moment before dropping into the seat next to her and staring down at her hands as he took them into his. His eyes slowly found their way upward to lock with her own worry-filled gaze, and as he did, her worry immediately changed to understanding.

"This is bad, isn't it..?"

"_Somebody tell me if I'll be alone… _No…" Jude shook her head, "I don't like that…"

"Somebody tell me, why I'm on my own…" Tommy offered.

"_If there's a soulmate for everyone…" _Jude finished with a smile, and scribbled the lyrics down in her notebook, "Yeah, that's good…"

"Look, Spiedy, I know I've been kinda crabby lately, but I've just been under a lot of stress," she replied quickly and gave him a sheepish smile, "And I promise I'll be better… Okay?"

"It's not just you… I haven't been able to concentrate on my music, everything I _can_ write sucks, my friendship with the boys, Jude, and everyone have been hurting…"

"_Here we are again, circles never end_

_How do we find the perfect fit?_

_There's enough for everyone,_

_But am I stuck waiting in line?"_

"We're just new at this! It'll get better!"

"I don't know that it will…" Spied replied sadly.

"What are you saying..?" she asked slowly, already knowing his answer.

"Karma… I don't think this is working…" Spied answered quietly, and her mouth opened slightly in shock, sadness filling her eyes in the form of a few stray tears.

"_Most relationships seem so transitory_

_They're all good but not the permanent one…"_

"Karma… Baby, please don't cry…" Spied said softly, wrapping an arm around her shoulders, "Everything's going to be okay…"

"No, it won't, _Vin_… I'm pregnant…!" she sobbed angrilly, as she pulled away to look him dead in the eyes, "Surprise!"

She stood up and rushed out of the room, wiping the tears away in the hopes that no one would notice.

"_Who doesn't long for _

_Someone to hold,_

_Who knows how to love you_

_Without being told_

_Somebody tell me why,_

_Now that I've found the one, _

_You think you can tell me_

_My soulmate is wrong?"_

"Pregnant…" Spied repeated quietly to himself, still in shock.

"Spied..?" Sadie's voice softly filled the room as she cracked the door and knocked lightly before entering completely, "Hey… You okay?"

Spied was so lost in thought that he barely even noticed the blonde as she walked into the room, but when she spoke, his eyes turned to her helplessly. She cautiously stepped further into the room, so that she was standing a few steps away from him.

"That bad?" she asked quietly, taking a seat next to him on the couch, her concerned eyes staring into his.

"Sadie, she… she's…" he tried to force the words out, his voice weak and shaky, "pregnant…"

"Oh my god… Spied…" she gasped, "What are you going to do?"

"I don't know…" he answered breathlessly, "I… I don't know…"

He let his head fall into his hands and rest on his knees, feeling completely lost. Sadie wrapped her arms around him in a tight embrace and began to cry as a few silent tears fell down his face.

"Jude, that was amazing…" Tommy complimented genuinely as she crossed into the room, standing and wrapping his arms around her.

"Thanks," she smiled back sweetly, leaning in to give him a small, chaste kiss.

As they pulled away from each other's lips, they turned quickly at the sound of someone's throat being cleared.

"Sorry to interrupt," Georgia spoke up in a non-condescending tone, and she couldn't help but notice an unusual stiffness about them.

She looked curiously from an unreadable to Tommy to a very shocked-looking Jude as they stared at the person standing to Georgia's right.

"Jamie…"


	20. Drain You

**Chapter 20  
Drain You**

* * *

In an effort to ease the tension in the room, Georgia spoke up again, "I just wanted to let everyone know that Jamie will be coming back to work here for the next six months!"

There was another moment of silence as Jude tried to think of something to say, but luckily she didn't have to.

"Hey, Jude…" Jamie said simply with no clear emotion to his voice.

"Hey…" Jude responded sweetly, not even catching the greeting that normally would've gotten quite a reaction out of her.

"Quincy," he added, nodding toward the man beside her.

"Hey, man…" Tommy replied, offering a hand to him, and after a moment of hesitation, Jamie held out his own to accept the handshake, "…Welcome back."

Jamie stared at him a moment, apparently surprised by Tommy's actions, before offering another nod.

"Well, we'll let you two get back to work…" Georgia spoke up again, a smile plastered on her face, "Jamie, why don't you go wait for me in my office? We still have some minor details to discuss… I'll just be a minute."

"Sure," Jamie answered, turning to leave.

"Wait," Jude piped in, finally getting over the speechlessness, "What happened to the label with Pagan?"

Jamie turned back toward the three standing inside the room, unable to stop the small smile that tugged at his lips.

"Pagan had to take a trip to India for some sort of luck, guidance, and relaxation mantra… thing he has to do," Jamie replied, causing the others to let out a small laugh, "So we're opening in six months…"

"Some things never change…" Jude added with a smile.

"Yeah… but some things do…" Jamie replied before disappearing around the corner.

"Tommy, why don't you go take a break for a few minutes… I just need to borrow your girl for a sec…"

After receiving an approving nod from Jude, he walked out of the room, leaving only the two women behind.

."Okay, what was that about?" Georgia spoke up after a moment, and Jude's eyes shot toward her, surprised by her question.

"Huh?"

"Jude, come sit with me…" Georgia finally spoke after a moment as she crossed to the couch.

Jude obeyed her request, letting herself fall gently into the spot next to her.

"Jude, your life outside of your career is completely out of my hands, and it is not my place to interfere… But I do want you to know that I do care a great deal about you… and Tommy… I've known him for years and you for shorter than I'd have liked, but you understand what I'm saying…" Georgia explained, placing a hand on Jude's shoulder, "Jude, I want you to feel like you can come to me for anything… And I know you've got Sadie, Tommy, Kwest, and Vin and the boys, but… If you do ever want to talk to someone who's been through more of the same things than you'd probably believe-"

Tommy walked into the studio, but stopped when he saw Georgia still sitting on the couch with Jude.

"Sorry… I'll go talk to Kwest if you need more time…"

"No, go ahead… We were just finishing up actually…" Georgia said with a smile as she stood and crossed to the door, but stopped when she reached it to turn back one more time, "And Jude?"

"Hmm?"

"My door's always opened to you…"

Jude smiled sweetly at her before Georgia disappeared around the corner.

"You okay?" Tommy asked, sitting next to her and offering one of the cups of coffee he was holding.

"Thanks," she replied with a gentle smile, taking a careful sip of the warm liquid, "Georgia was just asking if I needed to talk or anything…"

"No, I just meant… You know with Jamie's big surprise visit and everything…" he said cautiously as he pulled her legs onto his lap so that she was leaning back against the arm of the couch comfortably.

"Oh, it's definitely awkward… But nothing I can't handle…" she replied, trying to sound confident, "How bout you..? That couldn't have been the most comfortable situation for you either…"

"Yeah, but I can deal… I was just worried about you…"

"I'll be fine!" she assured him, smiling widely to enforce her point, "It's just Jamie! I mean, it's not like he's exactly big-bad-wolf-like!"

"Okay, you're right, I know!" Tommy laughed, nodding in agreement, "I'm sorry..! Overly-protective boyfriend here, I can't help it…"

"I know, and that's why I love you…" she replied with a smile,

"…And that was really sweet how you acted toward him, though… I was very impressed."

"Now that's what I like to hear," Tommy replied in a low, raspy voice as he slowly closed in the space between them.

"Well, look at this, Wall!" Kyle announced as Jamie emerged from Georgia's office.

"What do we have here?" Wally voice next.

"Jamie Andrews, aren't you just a sight for sore eyes!" Kyle cried as he half-tackled him.

"Woah!" Jamie exclaimed, surprised by his sudden attack.

He laughed as he pushed the drummer off him, but Wally's arm quickly looped around his neck.

"And to what do we owe the pleasure of this little visit?" the bass player asked, a wide grin on his face.

"To a delay in business and Pagan's unique customs!" Jamie laughed, freeing himself from Wally's grip, "I'm going to be working here temporarily…"

"How temporary?" a voice spoke from behind, causing the others to turn, and Jamie's smile quickly faded as his eyes met with the very pale and far too thin guitarist.

"Spied…"

"Jamie," Sadie said sweetly as she came up behind Spiederman and crossed over to him.

"Hey Sadie," he replied warmly, the smile returning to his face as he hugged her affectionately.

"What? I don't get a hug?" Spied asked, his usually enthusiastic voice now dull and empty of emotion.

Jamie forced a small laugh as he crossed over to him and gave him a quick, one-armed hug.

"How's life after G major been?" he asked with a hint of a smirk.

"It's crazy… I'm actually going to be someone's boss…" Jamie replied, receiving a laugh from Spied which brightened Jamie's smile a bit, "We need to catch up… What do you guys say we go get some pizza at lunch?"

He was met with three blank stares from the boys for a moment, no one saying a word, and finally catching on, he let out a humored sigh.

"My treat..?" he replied with a raised eyebrow, and watched as the three boys looked at each other and then turned back to him.

"Dude!" Kyle and Wally both chimed in unison while Spied just nodded with a half-smile.

"Sounds good…"

"Some things never change…" Jamie laughed before turning to Sadie seriously, "Um Sadie… Could I talk to you for a sec?"

She nodded silently, and Jamie turned back to the others, trying his best to hide the worry in his eyes.

"Meet me here at 12:30, and we can all head over then…" he said with a small wave, following Sadie as she led him into an empty studio nearby.

He closed the door behind him and turned back to her as if he were about to say something but was left silent by what he saw before him. She had turned her back to him and was playing with some of the knobs on the sound bored. She looked tired, stressed, and the glow she'd always had about her was gone. She looked older, and Jamie couldn't stand it.

Though they'd never been close, Jamie had grown up around Sadie, and even if he never would've admitted it, he looked up to her. She was this strong, smart, and never seemed to let things bring her down.

"Sadie, what's going on?" he asked softly, "Spied looks like a ghost, you look like you haven't slept in days…"

Her eyes met his as he spoke, and he could see the unshed tears that she was battling against.

"Spied's not doing good…" she finally managed, her voice quivering only once, "He came to me, and he was miserable so I told him if his marriage wasn't making him happy, then he shouldn't stay in it and that he had to do what made him happy…"

"Wait, could we rewind to the part about Spied being _married_??" Jamie asked in shock.

"Oh, um… One of Karma's publicity stunts gone wrong… It was supposed to be fake, but Pagan's ordained as it turns out…" she explained, receiving a simple 'oh' from Jamie, "So he took my advice and told her it wasn't working and…"

Sadie's voice caught in her throat, and a few stray tears escaped her eyes.

"Sadie…" he said sadly as he crossed to her and rested a comforting hand on her shoulder, "…What happened?"

"Jamie's she's pregnant…" Sadie finally said, her voice cracking emotionally, "You should have seen him, Jamie… He was crushed…"

"Sadie…" he whispered almost inaudibly.

All of the color rushed from his face as the realization of her words washed over him.

One of his best friend's worst fear was coming true, and there was nothing either could do to help him.

"Oh, hey guys, what's going…" Jude said as she strolled into the room, stopping dead in her tracks as she took in the expressions on their faces, "Sadie… What's going on..?"


	21. Pieces Don't Fit Anymore

Author's Note: 

I would just like to thank both my loyal readers who have been with me from the start, and my new readers who have given me praise and criticism. I appreciate all of you, and I would just like to let you know how much your feedback has helped me to grow as a writer. I know it seems really sad to read these now, due to the recent news of the show ending after this season, but I still see this show as an inspiration to me as a writer, musician, actor, and director. Hopefully, my stories will continue to be enjoyed by readers even after the show has faded from the spotlight (which, if I had my way, would never happen). But this note wasn't meant to be about that. I just would like to warn my readers that this is, in my opinion, my most emotional and dramatic chapter that I have written in this story so far. A lot of things are going to happen to our characters in the next few chapters, both good and bad, and I have worked very hard to bring these next moments to you in the best way I possibly could. I hope you enjoy this chapter and the many more to follow. Thanks again!  
Your always loyal and grateful storyteller,  
SF.

**Chapter 21  
****Pieces Don't Fit Anymore**

**

* * *

**

"Hey ready to go?" Jamie asked as he reached the three musicians in the lobby, a forced smile plastered on his face.

"The pizza..." Wally said longingly as he stared out the doors separating him from the awaiting food, "It calls to me..!"

"I'll take that as a yes," Jamie laughed as they walked out of the building and down the street to the small restaurant.

-------------------------------------

"Hey, there you are..." Tommy said, slipping his arms around Jude's waist from behind, "Hungry?"

She peered over her shoulder at him, offering a small smile.

"Not really..." she replied simply, taking comfort in his warm embrace, and she suddenly felt the urge to just stay as close to him as possible, "Can we just go somewhere we can be alone..?"

Tommy looked at her curiously with a hint of concern in his eyes.

"Yeah... Of course..." he nodded, slipping away and taking her hand, "Come on..."

-------------------------------------

"It must be weird coming back… You know, with Jude and Tommy being all joined at the hip…" Spiederman said carefully, looking over at Jamie, who was seated beside him at the table.

"I don't think it's the hip they've been joining at!" Kyle laughed.

"Dude," Spied replied as Wally hit Kyle in his arm.

"Man, I'm sorry…" Kyle added, his face quickly changing as realization set in, "I don't know what's wrong with me…"

"It's okay…" Jamie replied with an uneasy laugh, "It's… weird… But I don't know, I mean, I had to face it sometime…"

After Jamie received an understanding nod from the guys, silence fell over the table. Each of them lost in their own thoughts.

"…What happened to everything..?" Wally asked finally, voicing his thoughts and causing the others to pull their eyes upward toward him, "To all of us…"

After another moment of silence, as everyone absorbed the depth of the normally soft-spoken bass player's question.

"I don't know, Wall… things change…" Spied replied quietly, looking back down at the food.

"People change…" Kyle added more angrily than he intended, as he threw a glance toward Spied.

"I'm not the only one who's changed," Spied shot back at him as he glared at the drummer resentfully.

"Guys, don't start this again…" Wally pleaded, but before he could even finish speaking, Kyle was already jumping in.

"No, You're just the only one who abandoned your friends in the process," Kyle shot at him.

"Man, I'm sick of this!" Spied replied loudly, slamming his hands down on the table and throwing his chair back as he rose to his feet.

His voice came out louder than he intended which, along with the screeching of the chair as it slid back across the floor a few inches, caused the diners around them to go silent.

Spied stood frozen for a few moments, in shock at his own actions, before turning and striding quickly out of the restaurant.

-------------------------------------

"Jude, what's wrong?" Tommy asked the blonde seated in his lap on the couch of the rehearsal space as she nuzzled her face into his chest.

"Nothing…" Jude replied, lifting her head to bring her eyes to his as he gave her a skeptical look.

They stared at each other like that for a moment, feeling each other's breathes on their skin as Tommy's expression slowly fell, and his eyes changed to a darker shade of blue.

"I just needed some 'us' time… to be with you… in your arms…" she added, her voice low and seductive, only stopping as Tommy's lips collided with hers.

She could feel the passion in his kiss, and she didn't hesitate to return it. After a few minutes, she leaned back against his strong grip, allowing him to slowly lay her down onto the couch.

"Be with me…" Tommy said, parting the connection between their lips and looking deeply into her piercing blue eyes.

"What?" Jude asked in confusion, still recovering from the moment that had been suddenly put on hold.

"Be with me," he repeated, his eyes vulnerable and pleading, "Forever…"

Jude's eyes widened in shock, and her mouth fell open a little.

"What..?" she repeated breathlessly, certain she'd misunderstood him.

"Jude, I meant what I said to you the night I asked you to go away with me… I want you to be in my life… Part of my life forever…" he said as he sat up on the couch, pulling her up with him.

"I'm confused…" she replied, her eyes wide in shock, "What are you doing..?"

Tommy let out a small laugh and looked deeply into her eyes.

"I'm asking you to marry me…" he answered softly, reaching over to his coat lain over the arm of the couch and pulling out a small, black box from the pocket.

He turned back to her and, removing a beautiful, diamond ring from the box and taking her hand in his.

"Oh my god…" Jude gasped as tears filled her eyes.  
"So..?" Tommy asked after a moment, and she could no longer hold back her tears.

"Aren't you supposed to get down on one knee?" Jude chocked out, half-laughing and half-crying, as a wide smile broke onto Tommy's face.

"Anything for you, girl," he replied as he moved from the couch to the floor at her feet.

"No Tommy, I was just… kidding…" she laughed, but her voice trailed off as Tommy looked up at her adoringly, and once again took her hand in his.

"Jude Harrison… Will you marry me?"

She bit her lip in an effort to stifle the urge to squeal, scream, or do something, anything to release the energy building in her, but she finally gave up the fight.

"Jude..?"

"Yes!" she squealed, throwing her arms around his neck.

Tommy's arms wrapped around her waist as he lifted her off of the ground and spun her around the room. He set her back down onto her feet after about three or four spins and took her face in his hand, his bright smile still mirroring her own.

"I planned on doing that tonight…" he laughed, "We have reservations at Bodette's… But I couldn't wait…"

Jude joined in his laughter, gazing lovingly into his eyes.

"I'm glad you couldn't," she replied genuinely, wiping away a stray tear before Tommy's hand pushed hers out of the way, and his thumb grazed her cheek, "This was perfect..."

-------------------------------------

"Jamie," Kyle called as he walked into the lobby, bringing his attention up from the document Sadie had handed him.

"Hey, what's up?" he asked as the drummer approached him.

"Wally just called... He found something at the rehearsal space..." Kyle replied with a worried look on his face, "He said it was important and to get there quick..."

"Let's go..." Jamie nodded, setting the document down on the desk and following quickly behind him through the doors and down the sidewalk.

After about five minutes, they parked Jamie's car and rushed into the apartment where they found Wally sitting on the couch, holding his head in one hand and a piece of paper in the other.

The bass player's head shot up when he heard the door close and his body followed soon, rushing over to Kyle and pushing the paper into his hand.

"Read this," he stated flattly, a mixture of sadness and worry in his eyes, "I found it on the table..."

Jamie took a step toward the two musicians so that he could read the page over Kyle's shoulder.

"Mean mr. mustard says hes bored of life in the district..." Jamie read aloud, looking up at Wally with a questioning look, "What is it?"

"It's a song..." Kyle spoke up, his eyes never leaving the page in front of him.

"We had a joke... Me, him, and Kyle used to say our band was like the perfect sandwhich..." Wally explained, "He said I was the mayonaise cause I'm like a subtle hint of flavor, Jude was the big cheese, he called Kyle mr. meathead for the obvious reasons, but Kyle _claims_ it's because he's bold and everyone's favorite part..." he let out a slight laugh but quickly shook his head to bring himself back to the seriousness of the situation, "But anyways... he was the mustard..."

"Because he sticks out most and has the strongest personality of the group..." Jamie cut-in, starting to understand.

"Something like that..." Wally nodded.

"So this is Spied's..." Jamie asked, looking back down at the paper Kyle was now holding out to him before taking it into his hand.

"Yeah... It's Spied's..." Kyle answered somberly as he turned away from the others, pushing his hand through his hair and taking a few steps away to distance himself from them.

Jamie nodded before looking down at the words that had been scribbled down on the paper in his hand.

"Mean mr. mustard says hes bored  
Of life in the district  
Cant afford the french quarter high  
Says it gets old real quick  
And he pales up next to me  
Scrawled on the pavement  
It says: son, time is all the luck  
You need.

And if I stay lucky then my tongue  
Will stay tied, and I wont betray  
The things that I hide.  
Theres not enough years underneath  
This belt, for me to admit the way  
That I felt.

Mean mr. mustard says dont be  
The wave that crashes  
From a sea of discontent, he says  
Hes wrestled with that blanket...  
It leaves you cold and wet  
Any way you stretch it  
Divine apathy, disease of my youth  
Watch that you dont catch it.

And if I stay lucky then my tongue  
Will stay tied, and I wont betray  
The things that I hide.  
Theres not enough years underneath  
This belt, for me to admit the way  
That I felt...

And I'm the wave that crashes  
From the sea that turns itself  
Inside out every chance i get to  
See what it's like in hell...

And if I stay lucky then my tongue  
Will stay tied, and I won't betray  
The things that I hide.  
There's not enough years  
Underneath this belt,  
For me to admit the way  
That I felt."

"Wow..."

* * *

Author's Note: 

There it is! Sorry, it took so long to update, but I had it typed up on my new laptop but couldn't get online from it til now lol but anyways, I hope you like it, and I should have the next chapter up very soon! Also, the song I used in this chapter is called _"Lucky"_ and it's by the band Seven Mary Three. Thanks again for the reviews (and not to mention your patience lol), and I hope you like the update:)

-SF


End file.
